The Cascina delle Rose 2017 Barbera d'Alba Superiore Donna Elena is a ripe and almost impenetrable wine with a dark and thickly saturated appearance. The fruit is a little too ripe in my opinion, and although Barbera is a notorious sun-seeker, this vintage pushes the limits. It shows dried cherry, blackberry confit and sweet prune. Barbera is always saved by its natural acidity. The grape's freshness swoops in to give some much needed brightness against those very ripe and sweet flavors (and the wine's 15% alcohol content). Some 5,000 wines were released.