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Wine Details
Price:
$32.00 per bottle
Description:
Born of red, iron rich mountain soils, warm sun drenched days and cool breezy nights we can’t think of a better area to grow our Barbera grapes than Richard Martella’s 20+ year old Fiddletown vineyard. Barbera is a notoriously high acid grape, the warm sierra foothills have proven to be a stellar area for this northern Italian varietal.The grapes were picked in early October, crushed to small open top bins and fermented for 10 days on their skins, at which point they were pressed to barrel. We use our old Pinot Noir barrels, all Tonnellerie Francois Frere French oak, to age the Barbera. It rested on its lees for three months and racked two times prior to being bottled unfiltered.
Our Barbera is always luscious and forward, often exhibiting flavors of plum and black cherry. The 2003 version also has hints of cranberry, smoke and clove on the perfumed nose. The palate is defined by more ripe fruit flavors and smoke. The finish has the hint of vanilla and brown spice. It is a powerful wine, yet still balanced. The varietal’s characteristic acidity is present and freshens the palate and lengthens the finish. I see no reason not to drink this wine today, yet it will certainly hold in the bottle for another 5-7 years. Tomato sauces, Barbeque and other powerfully flavored dishes would set this wine off perfectly.
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Varietal Definition
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. Most California Barbera is grown in the Central Valley and finds its way into generic or proprietary blends. The Sierra Foothills, Paso Robles, Santa Clara and Sonoma, where very warm days are moderated by cool nights, produce some of the state’s best varietal Barberas. The fruit is naturally high in acid, which it retains very well, even in hot climates. Barbera grapes are also high in anthocyanins, but only low to moderate in tannin content. The resulting wines are deep, purplish black in their youth, but tend to early browning and lightening as they age. Tannin from oak aging can help somewhat to stabilize color.
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Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."
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