The 2013 Barbera d'Alba Superiore Donna Elena is a thick and dark red wine with a bouquet that is a little rough in places. The wine boasts an evident level of ripe fruit and blackberry jam, but other aromas of tar, spice, autumnal leaf and till earth also emerge from the bouquet with vigor. A pretty blast of menthol-like freshness tips the scales back into this wine's favor.