Barbera 2017
Regular price $29.00
Unit price per
25 cases produced
Our 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.
Winemaker Notes
The 2017 season was characterized by above average rainfall, almost 200% snowpack in the Sierras (50’ of snow at Heavenly!), great for skiers and farmers! With all the rain and colder winter temperatures, we pruned later in mid-March versus the usual mid-February. The summer was cooler for the most part aside from a heatwave in August. Harvest came two weeks earlier than usual at 25.4 Brix.
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. 15.1% alcohol and pH 3.4.
A full-bodied heartier 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.