2003
Barbera—The New Purple Haze
Welcome to Unti Vineyards: Refugee camp for wayward/under appreciated
varietals. Give us your fruit-forward, full-bodied, and soft tannin
huddled gallons of off-beat wine. I think Dad’s decision to plant
Barbera in 1998, was rather Dickensian.. After all, most American
winemakers have considered this grape to be second class (Can I have
more Barbera gruel sir?); used only for lending acid and color to
a massive quantity generic blend. In fairness, I should exclude such
producers as Louis Martini, Montevina, and Preston from this generalization.
In fact, Preston’s success with Barbera in Dry Creek Valley encouraged
George to plant it in the first place. Thanks Lou.
Even in its native habitat, Piemonte, Barbera has only recently ascended
to fine wine status. Barbera is second only to Sangiovese in total
red wine grape acreage planted in Italy. For years it has been the
source of very drinkable everyday table wine in this northwest region
of Italy. But from the hills of the Langhe, near the town of Alba,
Barbera can be made into a very stylish, dare I say sexy, wine. Alba
is the well-to-do-hub of Piemonte’s finest vineyards. Much like Healdsburg,
tourism has been bery-bery good to Alba. (Wonder if their locals
complain about not being able to buy underwear on the town square
like they do here?)
In the early 1980’s, a few great Barolo and Barbaresco producers began
making “serious Barbera”; meaning a more extracted, full-bodied rendition
from low yielding vines and aged in new French oak barrels. Folks
like Giacomo Bologna, Angelo Gaja, and Elio Grasso now make compelling
wines from this fruity high-acid varietal. It has become a legitimate
fine wine alternative to high-priced Barolo and Barbaresco.
Sooooo…why don’t more California wineries make Barbera you ask? Probably
because superstar Piemontese Barberas are rarely found in even the
best wine shops. I also think local winemakers have acid phobia. Barbera
is all about high acidity. Much like my own personality, high acid
wines can be an acquired taste. Without enough fruit and body, a high
acid red wine can appear thin. This type of wine gets slammed by wine
critics in today’s “fatter is better” atmosphere. Even our own beloved
Sébastien Pochan was leery of our 2003 Barbara’s high acidity. Upon
tasting it out of barrel, he suggested we may consider de-acidifying
this wine. After I almost coughed my wine through my nose, I suggested
we compare this wine with several Italian Barberas (what Sébastien
didn’t know was that this is my standard response to almost any suggestion.)
In comparison, our 2003 Barbera was darker and bigger with more voluptuous/exotic
fruit than anything Italy could throw at it. It even chased the 2002
Unti Barbera off of the table. And the ’03 has just the right amount
of acidity to let you know what varietal you’re drinking. Oh, by the
way, like most Italian reds, Barbera tastes much better with food
(what a concept!).
Whether you are a fan of modern-style Barbera d’Alba or just good,
juicy, fruit forward reds, this wine is a must try. If our last vintage
is any indication, this wine will be sold out by March. My only question
is why Hanna winery hasn’t made a Barbera yet?
Mick
Harvested: 9/23-10/6/03
Blend:
100% Barbera
Total Acidity: 0.82 g/100ml
Alcohol:14.6%
pH: 3.30
Bottled: 9/7/04
Aging:
11 months; in French oak, 25% new
Cases Produced: 660
2003
Segromigno
Difficult
to say, but easy to drink
Honey, would you
pour me another glass of that San Geronimo?
In
2000, we took what was our weakest vintage of Sangiovese, blended
it with 15% Syrah and made a very palatable “baby super Tuscan” named
after my Dad’s Italian home: Segromigno. At the time, I was terrified
to be selling a Sangiovese blend with a difficult to say proprietary
name. As usual my fears were unfounded and the wine sold so well that
we still have customers asking when we plan to do another Segromigno.
Well, here you go. This time the wine is more like a California Chianti
normale.
Since the 2001 vintage, we have harvested Dad’s four-acre Sangiovese
vineyard in three basic sections on different dates. Dad goes through
this laborious process because the vineyard is planted on two hillsides
of a ravine that cuts through his property. The first section to ripen
is our prized west side terrace, which is always the darkest, most
full-bodied and Brunello-like lot. It is what comprises our 100% Sangiovese.
The 2003 Sangiovese will be released next February and it is a monster
(I mean that in a good way), but let’s save that discussion for our
next newsletter.
The east terrace and the lower section of the vineyard ripen much
later and generally produce a lighter, less complex wine than that
of the west hill. In 2003, though, these lots have incredible bright
cherry-fruit and spice. The blended wine, while it may not possess
the structure and depth of our west side, is still pretty darn charming.
Sébastien deftly added a little Barbera and Dolcetto and ... Ecco!
(it’s the closest Italian word we could find to voilà) We have our
version of a Chianti normale. Like moderately priced Chiantis, this
Sangiovese is not meant for long-term aging. It is, however, delightful
as an every day utility player. And at this price, it is a wine that
Oakland A’s GM Billy Bean would gladly sign for a two year deal.
Mick
Harvested:
9/16-10/11/03
Blend:
82% Sangiovese, 9% Barbera, 9% Dolcetto
Total Acidity: 0.58 g/100ml
Alcohol:14.8%
pH: 3.60
Bottled: 9/8/04
Aging:
11 months; in French oak, 10% new
Cases Produced: 310
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