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2008 Clarksburg Barbera
“I get no respect.”
Rodney Dangerfield
When documenting the great wines of Italy’s Piemonte—the Barolo’s, and Barbaresco’s in particular—Barbera never seems to make the list. We think it’s time that this Cinderella of a grape gets its due, particularly when comes to selecting a wine that makes good food better.
Our ’08 Barbera is full of dark and red fruit aromas. Black raspberry, boysenberry, red currant, and black cherry all make an appearance. On the tongue, the boysenberries and cherries lead and a bit of the bramble the boysenberries grew in follows. There’s a hint of spice there, too—maybe some clove and nutmeg. Barbera’s firm acids are moderated by the influence of all that fruit and tannins are light and very round. The wine feels juicy but soft without being spineless.
This Barbera pairs beautifully with savory, buttery dishes—we enjoyed a beautiful tart of smoked cheddar cheese with carmelized onions on puff pastry from chef John Thiel of Pappo Restaurant and Culina with it. It complemented beet and goat cheese bruschetta beautifully, too; it’s a perfect foil for salumi and cured meats.
Steve, Duke, and Mike Heringer grow just 20 acres of Barbera in their Clarksburg vineyards. The vineyard was certified sustainable in 2009—standards that require measurable improvements in the environmental health of the surrounding ecosystem, product quality, and the community. The family has been farming the land for six generations with generation seven growing up there now. While “sustainable” generally lends itself to describing farming practices, we think that the Heringer’s love and stewardship defines the term in the best way possible.
Technical Data:
Appellation: Clarksburg
Blend: 97% Barbera, 3% Teroldego
Alcohol: 15.4%
Acidity: 0.55 g/100 mL
Residual Sugar: <0.1%
pH: 3.7
Malolactic Fermentation: Complete
Barrels: 1, 2, and 3 year old French oak
Harvest Date: October 12, 2008
Bottling Date: February 9, 2010
Release Date: April 1, 2010
Total Production: 137cases
Price: $24