Barbera and Pizza on St. Patty's Day

Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.
Tasted Thursday, March 17, 2011 by isaacjamesbaker with 603 views

Introduction

Instead of drinking overpriced beer and standing in line to get into a bar, a group of about 15 people got together for a barbera drinking night at Weygandt Wines in DC. We ordered lots of pizza and had a great time. Thanks to Tim for bringing lots of barbera from his cellar.

Flight 1 - bubbles and barbera d'asti (4 Notes)

Flight 2 - barbera d'alba (5 Notes)

  • 2007 Domenico Clerico Barbera d'Alba Trevigne 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

    dark ruby colored. huge legs. the palate is do sense and tight, but opened up with time to show dark fruit. plush tannins. really velvety. dusty red fruit. cranberry and chocolate on the finish. a big but balanced wine that oozes sexiness.

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  • 2006 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barbera d'Alba Superiore Santo Stefano di Perno 86 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba Superiore

    this is a really hard wine to score. it's an interesting experience, which is always worth something to me. this wine definitely stood out, that's for sure. the nose shows kirsch, mushrooms, mustard seed and a bit of gym socks. the palate starts with cherry gushers and then hits with a mustard seed and smoke flavor. the balance is a bit off, because of the jammy red fruit and then this crazy horseradish flavor hits the palate. interesting, but i don't think i could drink all that much of this. tim said. "if you don't like the mascarello, you're stupid." well, i like it. but not that much. so i guess that makes me "dumb" maybe. i've been called that before.

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  • 2005 Cascina Bongiovanni Barbera d'Alba 87 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

    medium purple color. dusty red cherries on the nose. smells like a library. and that's a good thing. i spend a lot of time in libraries. and this would be a good wine to sip in a library. bright cherries on the palate. bright acid and a lot of body. lots of acid on the finish. could come across as austere a bit, but i enjoyed it.

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  • 2008 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

    the nose shows some smoke, some barnyard and meat. those aromas are blended well with licorice rope. fresh and lively. a really gorgeous mouthfeel. dark cherries and a nice note of dried tobacco on the finish.

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  • 2007 G.D. Vajra Barbera d'Alba Superiore 86 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba Superiore

    i've heard hype about this wine, but i don't see it. it didn't stand up to some of the other solid barberas at the tasting. a simple nose of cherries and bright strawberries. it's fresh and bright on the palate, but the fruit is a bit out of whack. finish isn't very long or pleasant either.

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Flight 3 - blends to finish off the evening (4 Notes)

  • 2008 Unti Vineyards Barbera 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    definitely the new world kid on the block. nose was huge, fresh and lively compared with the other. lots of brambly fruit, raisins. bright on the palate, black cherries, mocha, chocolate shavings. dense tannins keep it from flabbiness. solid finish.

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  • 2000 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Monferrato Pin 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Monferrato

    i think this is a barbera/cab blend, which would make sense. at first i thought "who put bordeaux and northern rhone syrah in my barbera?" the nose is just huge. no way i would hae thought this was a ten-year old wine if served blind. gorgeous aromas of olives and cassis. the palate is dense and tannic as hell. lots of dark cherries, dried flowers, caramel and shaved chocolate. gorgeous finish. this has another five to ten years ahead of it and i think it will continue to gain in complexity, as it just felt too dense right now to show its stuff. wish this would've been decanted.

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  • 1985 Château Léoville Poyferré 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

    ruby-burnette color in the glass. aromas of jalapenos, pickles, red raisins and dried tobacco on the nose. over time, it opened up to show dried flowers and wild strawberries. the palate is a bit biting, showing pickle juice, sour cherries and a bit of a lemon/acid cut to it. medium tannins are still there to keep it a bit balanced. the complexity of the aromas really take me in, even if it's a bit disjointed on the palate.

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  • 2001 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    i know this was a barbera tasting, but this still ended up as my wine of the night. rich ruby colored. rich cherries, smoke, meat and a hint of brick oven on the nose. the elegance of this wine on the palate is just so damn sexy. very burgundian in its balance and approach. the flavors are seamlessly integrated. complex and gorgeous, but maintaining a lightness on the palate that makes this unbelievably pleasant to drink. the finish is wonderful.

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