Barbera 2018 - Library

Appellation:

Shenandoah Valley

Winemaker Notes:

The 2018 season was characterized by lighter rainfall than usual with a totally dry December and February. Half the season's rain fell in March which contributed to good vine growth. Bud break was about a month later due to many cold nights in March/April. Despite the delayed start, the Barbera caught up and was harvested September 17 at a brix of 26.0.

After crushing the grapes we removed the stems to minimize tannins, fermented and punched down the wine manually over two weeks, and then gently bladder-pressed into 10% French medium toasted oak. Secondary malolactic fermentation was done over six months during the winter and the wine was aged for 2 years prior to bottling.  

Our Barbera is a full-bodied hearty red wine with characteristics of dark cherry, plum, blackberry, vanilla, nutmeg, low in tannins with light acidity. Perfect for pairing with rich dark meats, pastas, Paella, root vegetables and braised greens.

Vineyard Notes:

Our Estate Barbera grows on a steep hillside at 2,000-foot altitude in the granitic and volcanic soil of our vineyard estate in the Shenandoah Valley of the Sierra Foothills. It is grafted on special drought tolerant rootstock which allows it to dig deep in this soil for water and we dry farm it. It thrives in the warm daytime breezes from the Central Valley and cool Sierra evenings, a 30 degree swing in temperature, a climate similar to the best growing region in Italy for this grape.