PIANOALTO Vigneti Bava di Agliano The Cascina PianoAlto property is based around a farmhouse on the Crena ridge and enjoys splendid views over the countryside around the town of Agliano d'Asti. The excellence of the vineyard site and the superb quality of the vines themselves have formed the basis for a fascinating experiment in creating a real cru and going back to the original, authentic tastes of the Barbera grape. The property produces just one wine, eponymously named PianoAlto. The labels bears a stylised representation of the shapes formed by the brick sunshields on the hay loft of the original farmhouse.   Grapes: 100% Barbera, exclusively from the Cascina PianoAlto di Crena     Yield per hectare: 46 hectolitres (1997)     Maturation: carried out in small 15 hectolitre barrels, expressly made from aromatic new wood to allow the air to deepen the colour and refine the aromas of the wine. A period of ageing in bottle follows. The wine is bottled unfiltered.     Characteristics: deep, intense colour and complex aromas precede a full bodied wine with all the typical characteristics of a low yield Barbera. The overall balance of the wine masks its high level of supporting alcohol. The new wood of the barrels enhances the wine's own natural characteristics.     Bottling: in four sizes - half bottles / bottles / magnums / double magnums - all green Bordeaux-type bottles. Cases are made up of six bottles or 24 halves.Magnums are packaged in single wooden boxes.     Production: Vintage 1996: 2400 half bottles / 12000 bottles / 1000 magnums / 100 double magnums. Vintage 1997: 24000 bottles / 700 magnums.