Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Terra d’Oro Barbera is lush and inviting, with aromas of Herbs de Provence, red currant, wet stone, sour cherry, licorice, and tangerine zest. Rich, round, juicy midpalate tannins, are complemented with black plum, blueberry and earth with a lingering, bright finish. This red wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then aged for 16 months in a combination of American and French oak (19% new) to add well integrated aromas of toasty oak to the finished wine. With its natural acidity, the Barbera goes well with richer meats and game.
This bottle of wine has 14.5% alcohol by volume.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a bold, bright wine that packs plenty of fresh blackberry and black-plum flavors that are held by moderate tannins for a good, appetizing grip. Concentrated fruit flavors and subtle vanilla, nutmeg and clove accents add to its appeal.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Terra d'Oro Barbera is an excellent New World example of this Piemontese grape variety. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows up with bright berries, chalk, and mineral aromas and flavors. Pair it with a serving of Margarita Pizza. (Tasted: May 2, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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.
As the lower part of the greater Sierra Foothills appellation, Amador is roughly a plateau whose vineyards grow at 1,200 to 2,000 feet in elevation. It is 100 miles east of both San Francisco and Napa Valley. Most of its wineries are in the oak-studded rolling hillsides of Shenandoah Valley or east in Fiddletown, where elevations are slightly higher.
The Sierra Foothills growing area was among the largest wine producers in the state during the gold rush of the late 1800s. The local wine industry enjoyed great success until just after the turn of the century when fortune-seekers moved elsewhere and its population diminished. With Prohibition, winemaking was totally abandoned, along with its vineyards. But some of these, especially Zinfandel, still remain and are the treasure chest of the Sierra Foothills as we know them.
Most Amador vines are planted in volcanic soils derived primarily from sandy clay loam and decomposed granite. Summer days are hot but nighttime temperatures typically drop 30 degrees and the humidity is low, making this an ideal environment for grape growing. Because there is adequate rain throughout the year and even snow in the winter, dry farming is possible.