2018 Barboursville Barbera Reserve

 

2018 Barboursville Barbera Reserve 


Vintage: 2018
Region: Virginia, USA
Winery: Barboursville
Varieties: Barbera
Price: $20
My Rating: 88 Points

The Review: Saturday, March 27 is Open that Bottle of Virginia Wine Day! Now, I don't know if that's an internationally celebrated holiday, but those of us from the Commonwealth can certainly indulge and #buylocal- something I admittedly don't do enough. To honor this upcoming "holiday," I'm gonna take a gander at the first Virginia wine on the blog!

Virginia has really been on the up and up and has been receiving quite a bit of international recognition in recent years. From wineries like Breaux and King Family, to bigger names like Barboursville and RdV, to some incredibly successful newcomers with hot-shot interns, Virginia wine is starting to finally catch the eyes of the wine world. In fact, the legendary wine critic responsible for the Judgement of Paris, Steven Spurrier (recently passed, God rest his soul), is quoted saying, "My favorite North American wine region is Virginia because it makes wines that I like to have a second glass of." High praise from a man played by Alan Rickman in a movie...

One of the most exciting facets of Virginia winemaking in my mind is how new it is. There's so much stuff that has yet to be done, and we're really just starting to scratch the surface! Virginia wine is also diverse and versatile. There's something for everyone- whether that be more approachable wines for a nice trip to the mountains or highly allocated powerhouse reds that are on a waitlist. And, it's a great way to spend an afternoon or evening.

Today's wine, the 2018 Barboursville Barbera Reserve, is a unique introduction to Virginia wines for two reasons. First, Barboursville is perhaps the best established and most renowned winery in Virginia, so you'll get to experience some of the most solid juice on the shelves. It's owned by Italian wine royalty, and you really know that you're going to get a solid product (always positive because as you know, not all wine is good), and you can find their bottles everywhere. Secondly, Barbera is a lesser-known grape, especially Barbera from Virginia! It's a lighter red grape native to Northern Italy that is pretty simple, shows similarities to Pinot Noir, and is usually a crowd-pleaser for classic Italian dishes, including pizza. This Barboursville Barbera shows off their Italian touch, with aromas of candied cherry, raspberry, and some mild oak notes (baking spice, vanilla). The taste was similar, with notes of soft cherry, raspberry, strawberry jam, some cola, and vanilla. The tiniest bit of baking spice added a nice zip to the otherwise fruity and super refreshing wine.

For $20, this one is a great way to support Virginia wineries, which have been struggling through COVID. Whatever you end up drinking, I hope that you'll join the Virginia wine community on March 27th and open a bottle of Virginia wine!

P.S. If you're looking for more traditional selections, Cab Franc is probably the most classic Virginia red and Viognier is the classic Virginia white. But don't be afraid to be adventurous!

drink what you like,

db

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Kiwi Gold Sauvignon Blanc

Image
2018 Kiwi Gold Sauvignon Blanc Vintage:  2018 Region:  Marlborough, New Zealand Winery:  Kiwi Gold Varietal:  Sauvignon Blanc Price:  $9.99 at Wegmans Expert Rating:  90 My Rating:  92 The Review: Happy spring break if you're in college! If you're not in college, hope you've enjoyed your normal workweek. Sorry for a bit of a delay in posts, I've just gotten through arguably the hardest week of my academic career. But hey, we made it and now it's time to kick back and drink a lil' wine. Today's post is a really solid sauv blanc from the South Island of New Zealand, the motherland of sauv blanc. The cool nights, maritime climate, and minerally soils are the perfect recipe for crisp and refreshing cool-climate wines. This Kiwi Gold Sauvignon Blanc is no exception to that. It's kind of a "posterchild" for sauv blancs. To start out, it's SUPER aromatic on the nose and the fruit just jumps out of the glass. There's a lo...
Read more

2015 Kirkland Signature Barolo

Image
  2015 Kirkland Signature Barolo Vintage:  2015 Region:  Piemonte, Italy (Barolo DOCG) Winery:  ??? Varietal:  100% Nebbiolo Price:  $19.99 Rating:  92 Points My Rating:  92-94 Points The Review: Happy official fall! Today's wine is an absolute steal but is definitely not for the faint of heart. Barolo is strangely enough not very well known in America but is one of, if not the most, prestigious wine region in the world. It's one of those regions where you're unlikely to find a good example for below $50, so finding something that is well-rated for $20 is quite the find!  Barolo is made exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape- the pride of Northwestern Italy. These wines are absolute tannin bombs, which when executed well can result in mindblowing texture and depth. When executed poorly, Nebbiolo can seem abrasive (you may have experienced this drinking a young Cab Sauv. It can sometimes seem harsh or astringent). Luckily though, you won't find a...
Read more

2016 Chateau les Aubiers Cotes de Bordeaux

Image
  2016 Chateau les Aubiers Cotes de Bordeaux Vintage:  2016 Region:  Bordeaux (Blaye), France Winery:  Chateau les Aubiers Varieties:  80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec Price:  $6.99 (at Costco) Critic Rating: 91 Points My Rating:  91 Points The Review: I must admit, I've recently been on a bit of a more traditional region wine kick... Burgundies, Tuscans, and of course, Bordeaux. Normally I try to be adventurous in my wine drinking- lesser-known regions, maybe a weird grape, or the occasional "natural wine"- but I'm loving my explorations of these classic regions (they're famous for a reason!). This wine today, however, allowed me to get a little mix of a classic region, but less traditional farming practices and winemaking techniques (it's very cool if you're a nerd that is interested in agricultural practices, but I'll spare you the details). Also, it was $6.99 at Costco and it normally retails for ~$40! As the home of some of the most w...
Read more