93 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Delicious with tomato-sauced pastas, harder cheeses, and grilled things, especially portabello mushroom caps. Buon appétito!
VINEYARD
The 130-year-old Planchon Vineyard in Oakley is the source of this interesting "Italian blend" of Barbera with its companion vines of Zinfandel and Merlot. The Barbera rows are a veritable jungle of vegetation on the perimeter of the ancient Zin vines; they thrive on their own roots in this sandy soil.
WINEMAKER: Carol Shelton
VARIETAL: 75% Barbera, 13% Zinfandel, 10% Merlot, 2% Rose of Peru
VINEYARD: Planchon Vineyard
APPELLATION: Contra Costa County
FERMENTATION: 3-day cold soak, fermented in 0.8-ton T-bins and a 3-ton open-top fermenter & punched down by hand twice daily, 2 different yeast strains, 10 days total on skins.
AGING: 7 months in Hungarian, American and French oak barrels.
TA: 0.64 gm/100ml
pH: 3.48
VINTAGE: 2022
ALCOHOL: 13.2%
96 Points
Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, huckleberry, floral violet and savory spice. The palate is full and layered, with robust, age-worthy tannins and gorgeous flavors of dark berries, mocha and chocolate-covered cherries mingling with hints of graphite, fig and fine leather. Smooth tannins, firm structure and silky texture coat the palate on route to a long, generous finish.
94 Points
Juice explodes right out of the glass with its dark purple in color and bursting aromas of black cherry jam, boysenberry, raspberry and wild cherry interlaced with hints of baking spice, espresso bean, and toasted nut. The palate is ripe and juicy with flavors of dark cherry, huckleberry and raspberry perfectly integrated with notes of spice, dark chocolate, and a kiss of toasty oak.
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