Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Barbera Cervo Northridge Vineyard is juicy, fresh and plummy with ripe aromas of black cherry and hints of dusty florals. Full-bodied, fresh and juicy, the wine offers a spicy and succulent mouthfeel on the palate and concludes with a bright, focused finish that will remain food friendly for over a decade.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Barbera Cervo comes from the Wahluke Slope (near the Northridge Vineyard) and it has a sappy, floral, herbal notes as well as beautiful black raspberry and darker cherry fruits, medium to full body, soft tannins, and a forward, balanced, impressive style that’s already drinking nicely. It should keep for 4-5 years.
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James Suckling
Cherries, dried flowers, black beans and honeycomb on the nose. It’s full-bodied, creamy and so drinkable, with supple tannins and a soft finish. Excellent freshness, too. Delicious now.
Friendly and approachable, Barbera produces wines in a wide range of styles, from youthful, fresh and fruity to serious, structured and age-worthy. Piedmont is the most famous source of Barbera; those from Asti and Alba garner the most praise. Barbera actually can adapt to many climates and enjoys success in some New World regions. Somm Secret—In the past it wasn’t common or even accepted to age Barbera in oak but today both styles—oaked and unoaked—abound and in fact most Piedmontese producers today produce both styles.
An important winegrowing state increasingly recognized for its high-quality reds and whites, Washington ranks second in production in the U.S. after California. Washington wines continue to gain well-deserved popularity as they garner higher and higher praise from critics and consumers alike.
Washington winemakers draw inspiration mainly from Napa Valley, Bordeaux and the Rhône as well as increasingly from other regions like Spain and Italy. Most viticulture takes place on the eastern side of the state—an arid desert in the rain shadow of the Cascade mountains. Irrigation is made possible by the Columbia River. Temperatures are extreme, with hot and dry summers and cold winters, during which frost can be a risk.
Washington’s wine industry was initially built on Merlot, which remains an important variety to this day, despite having been overtaken in acreage planted by Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Bordeaux blends and Rhône blends are common as well as single varietal bottlings. Washington reds tend to express a real purity of concentrated fruit. The best examples have a bold richness, seamless texture, plush or powdery tannins and flavors such as licorice, herb, forest floor, espresso and dark chocolate.
In terms of white wine from Washington state, Riesling is the state’s major success story, producing crisp, aromatic examples with plenty of stone fruit that range from bone dry to lusciously sweet. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc perform nicely here as well, and Viognier is beginning to pick up steam.