The 2019 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia marries elegance, power and energy. Inky blue/purplish fruit, menthol, licorice and sage are some of the nuances that build as this creamy, textured Barbera slowly opens in the glass. The Francia is wonderfully somber and mysterious, with striking shades of dimension that reveal themselves over time. The 2019 was just bottled, but its pedigree is evident.

The 2019 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia is all about precision, power and a meticulous orderly approach that brings new intervals of increased aromatic intensity with each sip and swirl of the glass. The wine can be characterized as exceptionally direct and frank, and these qualities are especially well executed in this classic vintage. Barbera is cultivated at the top and the lower parts of the Francia vineyard, and this wine carries slightly more fruit weight and structure compared to the Cerretta. Francia also ends with distinctly mineral or graphite-like notes with iron or rust. ML