2015 Barbera d'Alba Tre Vigne

I am especially pleased with the 2015 Barbera d'Alba Trevigne. This wine is absolutely rich and plump. It reveals lingering softness that caresses the palate. The winemaking team at Domenico Clerico has embarked on an approach that relies on less oak (this trend started some years ago under Domenico's watchful eyes). You taste that stylistic shift very clearly here. Indeed, this wine sees a larger percentage in large oak casks (up to 70% of the total) and less in barrique. Before it was all barrique, much of which was new oak. Fruit is sourced from three sites: Mosconi gives the wine its luscious softness, Ginestra adds the freshness and San Pietro contributes to the wine's textural richness and its darkly saturated color. Those are the three vineyards used in Trevigne.