Readers looking for a fine Barbera should consider the 2006 Barbera del Monferrato Superiore Bricco Battista. Still fresh and vibrant, the wine offers up gorgeous notes of ripe dark fruit intermingled with sweet scents of toasted oak and minerals. The Bricco Battista possesses outstanding length and remarkable purity in its long, minerally close. The wine continued to improve in the glass, suggesting it should drink beautifully over the next few years. This is a wonderful effort from Accornero. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2016. Importer: Montecastelli Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 414-4898