"The 2006 Barbera d’Asti La Crena is a dense, brooding effort loaded with mineral-infused dark fruit, violets, graphite, flowers and French oak. This is an especially seamless yet mid-weight La Crena built on elegance rather than power, with an impeccably clean, polished finish that rounds things out. Usually I prefer Barbera on the young side, but La Crena truly sings around age ten or so. It remains one of the most under-the-radar wines in Piedmont. La Crena is made from vines that are over 70 years old in Agliano, one of the most privileged sites for Barbera in Piedmont."