2006 High Valley Barbera RESERVE – $40

Aroma of black cherry, ripe banana and sage. Taste of dark plums, blueberry and black licorice. Balanced finish of cherry & cola with lingering vanilla .

Accolades

People’s Choice Award for Alternative Red Wine - 2009 Lake County People’s Choice Awards
90 Points – Wine Enthusiast Best of Year 2009 “Barbera should be dry, tannic, full-bodied, crisp in acidity and, when it’s from California, fruity. This one meets all those standards, and then some. It has flavors of grilled blackberries, molasses, bacon, star anise and red currants, with a hint of cocoa. Best now through 2014.”

Winemaker's Comments

Exotic black cherry, ripe banana and sage greet your nose and prepare you for a palate of dark plum, blueberry and black licorice spice. The palate leads into the balanced finish of cherry, cola and lingering vanilla. This Barbera is unique in the fact that is displays the balanced acid content. The cool breezes of High Valley help this Barbera cool down, giving more ripe fruit with amazing balance and flavor. Very versatile for pairing, use this beautiful Barbera with everything from pizza to pasta.

Barbera

A red-wine grape of Italian origin that produces sturdy, tannic wines capable of aging. Barbera is widely planted in Italy’s Piedmont region, where it accounts for half the total acreage. Century-old vines still exist in many regional vineyards and allow production of long-aging, robust red wines with intense fruit and enhanced tannic content. When young, the wines offer a very intense aroma of fresh red and black berries. Many producers add the flavor of toasted (searing the wood over open fire) oak barrels, obtaining very good results in terms of complexity and longevity when vanilla and ‘toast’ is added to the original fruit aroma. Wines with better balance between acid and fruit, often with the mix of oak, high alcohol content, and reduced yields, are more capable of cellaring.

Preferred Pricing

1 - 2 cases: 10% off, 3 - 5 cases: 15% off, 6 + cases: 20% off (does not apply to Library & Reserve wines).
Mixed cases allowed. Wine club members are given an additional 5% off on all purchases.