Sandrone’s layered, polished Barbera is drawn from four excellent sites: Cascina Pe Mol, (Monforte d’Alba), Ravera and Rocche di San Nicola (in Novello), and Albarella (in Barolo). At between 350 and 450 metres, these are some of the region's highest, most exposed vineyards, bringing superb freshness and vibrancy to this wine. To balance Barbera’s notable acidity, Sandrone matured the wine in 500-litre tonneaux (40% of which were new). The Estate had special, untoasted barrels made in Burgundy for this cuvée, to ensure the wood impact was as discreet as possible. When the wine is young, some wood shows through on the nose, but it is seriously classy oak. With age, the integration is seamless. As always, there is great class on offer here.