Barbera D'Alba

There were a few extra minutes last night so we quickly seared a small fillet of beef in a skillet and popped it into the oven. There were some three cheese ravioli dropped into a pot of boiling water and a small salad. When the fillet came out of the oven the skillet was set over heat and de-glazed with some wine and beef stock and a touch of Dijon mustard. A small pat of butter was swirled in to finish the sauce and the ravioli were tossed with a little pesto. Nice meal in 20 minutes.

The wine was good also. It was a 2006 Enzo Boglietti Barbera D'Alba. In the glass it was dark, but almost neon purple on the edges. This purple was almost "Barney" purple. The nose was all about fruit with bright cherries and bright, crisp red plums. That's exactly what came through in the taste. The acid was good and the tannins were minimal. That little burst of cherry sweetness at the end was balanced by just enough acid to make it a delicious drink. This wasn't a wine to ponder, it was just a great little wine to drink.

As for the photo, your eyes are not going bad. Boglietti runs his name from bottom to top and the letters seem to be turned in whatever direction struck the winery's fancy when they labeled the bottle. Of course it's a lot more important what's in the bottle than what's on it, and this was a good, little wine.