Some Barberas

A group of us met last night to drink some Barbera's. The wines were all under $40 with about half being purchased locally. The wines were pop and pour and served blind over the course of 2.5 hours. Breads and cheeses were available.

• 2013 Vietti Roero Arneis 87 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Roero

  Light silvery green. The nose is very nice. Quite aromatic. Blind I thought Sauvignon Blanc? as it's grassy with some tropical fruit. Slightly oily texture. On the palate, more herbal with a bit of minerals. A bit of residual sugar and a bit flat mar this for me a little. Nice enough finish. Its a fine wine. I would never guess Italy, but that's ok. The group seemed to like it more than me.

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• 2010 Gianni Gagliardo Barbera d'Alba La Matta 88 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  Dusty with a bit of cherries. Tart acidity. Red Berry flavors on the palate. Long finish with a slightly bitter cherry-pit kind of flavor.

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• 2007 Fontanabianca Barbera d'Alba 84 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  The groups and mine last place wine. We wondered how long a good, not great Barbera can last. This was bought for the tasting so it probably sat on a store shelve for a while. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has sour cherries with a dusty, saw dust quality. Nice texture and still some tannins. Some complexity but not much fruit left. Then, it just started to fall apart for me. I had it at 87 initially, but it just kept fading. Drink up.

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• 2010 Tenuta Olim Bauda Barbera d'Asti Superiore Nizza 87 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti Superiore Nizza

  Purple/ruby in color. The nose has sour cherries and rosemary. With air, a raspberry cough drop note comes out. Nice acidity. Medium tannins. Cherries on the palate. Not sure where this goes from here.

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• 2009 Lago di Merlo Barbera Tasting Room Reserve 88 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  The only non-Italian in the bunch, this was the groups #2. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is dusty with plenty of vanilla and cherries. Tart acidity with slight tannins on the palate. Sour cherries. One of the better Cal Barberas I hve had.

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• 2012 Vietti Barbera d'Alba Tre Vigne 89 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  One of the real values in the tasting. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has sour cherries and a slightly woody/dusty quality. Very balanced. Light tannins. Mildly complex. Nice cherry fruit. Long finish. Very food friendly.

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• 2010 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbera d'Asti Cà di Pian 89 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti

  This is one that kept getting better for me. The first time thru I had it in last with 85 points. Purple/ruby in color. Red berries, oak, and dust. Others got a lot of sulfur, but I don't usually notice that as well. On the palate, tart cherries. There was a lot of heat here initially but seemed to blow off with air. Firm tannins.

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• 2010 Tenuta Olim Bauda Barbera d'Asti Superiore Le Rocchette 89 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti Superiore

  This is the less expensive of the two wines we tried from this winery. The group, and I, liked it better. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has dark cherries and is slightly woody. This is balanced with dark cherries and some depth of flavor. Drinking well all thru the tasting. Good value.

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• 2010 Braida (Giacomo Bologna) Monferrato Il Bacialé 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Monferrato

  This is not a Barbera but has 60% Barbera in it along with Pinot Cab and Merlot. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has cherries with a bit of vanilla. very balance. Medium tannins. The most complex wine of the night. Cherry and layers of red fruit. A bit of menthol. Nice finish. Mine and the groups WOTN.

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• 2010 Domenico Clerico Barbera d'Alba Trevigne 87 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  I would have thought this would show better. I liked it a bit more than the group even. Purple/ruby and cloudy. Cherries and cranberries with a very wide streak of green. It did seem balanced but quite simple on the palate. Light cherries. Is this a proper bottle? I don't know, but I can't identify a fault per se.

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• 2009 Viberti Giovanni Barbera d'Alba Superiore Bricco Airoli 89 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba Superiore

  Purple/ruby in color. The nose has cherries and spice. Juicy acidity. Black cherry fruit on the palate. Slight tannins. Nice finish.

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In general we found these good but not great. There is some value at the low end especially when at a restaurant and facing 2 and 3x retail markups. These are food friendly. At the same time, I don't think any of us are going to be going out and buying many of these for our cellars.