Conterno’s 2005 Barbera d’Alba Cascina Francia is a terrific effort. Its silky aromas meld seamlessly onto the palate, where vibrant layers of dark fruit come to life. As it sits in the glass, licorice, tar, smoke and mineral notes become more prominent, adding further complexity to this irresistibly sensual wine. Long, sweet and pure, it continued to evolve beautifully over the day I followed it. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2015. This is another set of superb releases from Giacomo Conterno one of the bastions of traditionally made Barolos. While Conterno’s wines have often been profound, in recent vintages the estate has found another level of finesse that was sometimes missing in the wines. It is hard to say if that is because of a general trend towards warmer vintages, the estate’s focus on making just three wines, or small improvements in vineyard and cellar work, but the fact remains that over the past few vintages Roberto Conterno has produced the best and most consistently outstanding wines in his venerable firm’s long history. The wines he has in barrel amply confirm this very positive trend. Importers: Doug Polaner, Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484