2017 Barbera

2017 Barbera

Barbera
OR - Rogue Valley
$35.00 / 750 mL Bottle

  • Alcohol 14.5%
Wine Review Online 94 Wine Enthusiast 89
Intense, beautiful bright aromas of blackberry, black cherry and ripe plum skin lend way to complex notes of sweet cured leather with subtle accents of sweet pipe tobacco and cardamom. On the mouth, the bright black fruit with juicy, rich texture are the hallmark of Barbera and will leave you coming back for more. For Winemaker Chris Graves, Barbera made in a “Reserve” style with ample aging in new French Oak is one of the most rewarding wine styles. Like biting into a juicy, ripe black cherry on a warm sunny day- with sweet and spicy notes from French oak reminiscent of blackberry cobbler. NAUMES FAMILY VINEYARDS, ROGUE VALLEY (OREGON) BARBERA 2017: Plantings of Barbera in Oregon, let alone in the Rogue Valley, must be miniscule. The 2018 Oregon Vineyard and Winery Report doesn’t even mention the grape in their detailed statistics. Judging from this wine, more wineries will be planting it. Immediately appealing, this wine combines alluring spice with bright red fruit flavors. Fresh, juicy acidity keeps this mid-weight wine lively while a supple texture makes it easy to enjoy now. It’s a charming wine delivering the liveliness of Barbera without a trace of astringency. Bring on the pasta with a hearty, tomato-based sauce. 94 Wine Review Online, Michael Apstein

Notes

Fruit was carefully hand harvested in the early morning of October 13th 2017. The clusters were meticulously hand sorted, destemmed, then berry sorted both by hand and via optical sorter. The fruit was split to different lots for fermentation and aging – with whole berry, cold soaking and specialized yeast strains employed to emphasize the unique characteristics of this classic Italian grape. After fermentation and pressing, the wines were barreled down to 30% New French, 20% once-filled French, and remainder neutral French oak for a period of 21 months prior to bottling. The Naumes family then spared no expense aging the wine for over 6 months for optimal bottle conditioning upon release.

Barbera is such an incredible food wine, and this wine screams for quality Italian food. Richer, fattier dishes will be well cut and contrasted by the bright acidity. Or complement an acidic dish like a tomato-based sauce.