A blend of 60% Barbera and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy 2012 Langhe Virtus is a late release expression that, in this case, hits the market more than 10 years after the harvest. I must admit that Virtus is a wine I fail to fully comprehend. The tertiary tones are always dominant. This is especially true in the 2012 vintage that saw hot and dry winds blow up to Piedmont from Africa for much of the summer months. You get baked cherry, campfire ash, licorice and cured tobacco with rich concentration over a medium-bodied finish. The wine matures in French barrique for 28 months. Production is 9,518 bottles.

The Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy 2010 Langhe Virtus is a blend of 60% Barbera and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is always a late release, and there's a big risk to that with so much bottle and vintage variation to account for. However, this 2010 expression has all its ducks in a row. The bouquet is concentrated and thick, with plenty of power and depth. The bouquet shows dark fruit, with licorice, camphor ash and ink. This is a treat for people who love the magic of old wines. Exactly 8,433 bottles were made.

A blend of 60% Barbera and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2009 Langhe Virtus presents a dark and saturated appearance with velvety and sultry aromas of black fruit, dried plum and prune. The bouquet is evolved, with oxidative tones of brown sugar and barbecue smoke. This vintage is dense and loosely textured with a broad, weighty approach. Since the wine has completed much of its aging in the cellar, there is no point to age it much longer. With a production of 8,633 bottles, this wine is already being sold in Italy, but it has yet to be released in the United States.

The 2008 Langhe Virtus is a beautifully polished vintage, silky in texture, with aromas of dark berry and dried cherry. These soft tones of ripe fruit are accompanied by somewhat evolved notes as well, while licorice, ash and crushed stone appear on the long finish. Now, with some time under its belt, the 2008 vintage is showing its true colors, even though it was somewhat overlooked when it first hit the market. This blend of Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon comes from vines planted in the celebrated Martinenga cru of Barbaresco. My favorite aspect of this wine is that its acidity has remained so intact and bright over the past decade.

This 60/40 blend of Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon has a nice richness, a soft approach and loads of dark fruit, especially cherry and blackberry. This is an exuberant and succulent red blend from Piedmont. It offers smoke and dusty tannins too, showing some evolution but not too much. The folks at Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy did a really nice job with the 2007 Langhe Virtus.