Open Mike: California Barbera.

Shenandoah Vineyards (sister vineyard of Sobon) is organic, so maybe that somehow enhanced the score. 02 was a good year for the barbera's I have tasted...not sure 04's are as good.

Ok if it is not oxidization then could it be something more akin to unnatural mix of acid types tartaric versus citric or malic? Or an unnatural concentration of tartaric acid. It is true that it easy to taste tartaric if it is added after primary fermentation.

I doubt you'd be able to detect acid ratio changes but you never know, I suppose. Tartaric and malic comprise the vast majority of acid in grape juice, in that area with tartaric dominating, then malic and very small amounts of citric. Winemakers choose tartaric for acid adjustments first of all precisely because it is far and away the most common wine acid. They typically don't add malic to whites because it adds a distinct apple-y flavor or to reds because that would just add to the malic that needed to get converted to lactic in malolactic fermentation (MLF) - and to lactic acid concentrations in the final wine. Citric acid as a rule doesn't get added to grape wines because there's very little in grapes in the first place and because ML bacteria can convert citric to acetic.

Virtually all red wines do go through MLF, so the acids you taste in red wine are almost invariably tartaric first and lactic second. The ratios are variable depending on grape, harvest, terroir and so forth, but tartaric is always dominant. It could be you're highly sensitive to the ratio but with all the natural variation in that ratio, it seems unlikely to me that anybody could tell a unnatural variation in the ratio from a natural one.

As for tasting tartaric added after fermentation - maybe. Not because you can taste the difference between "natural" and "artificial" tartaric acid - they're still the same chemical, no matter when they're added - but because *any* adjustment made that late naturally risks a certain disjointedness in the wine. But winemakers know that and for that reason, you'll probably never encounter a wine treated that way. I knew better than that even making my very first homemade wine

Primary aroma is alc. Fruit is blueberry Jam. There is little acid...no wonder it is 16% alc. I can taste the alc. I like these ripe wines. Even with this high alc. there is a slight bit of sweetness. I think one of the main downsides of high alc. is that it robs the varietal character. I like wine brandy.

This is the most Authentic Euro like Barbera from Amador. Aroma is oak/blueberry/cherry with slight vanilla.
The acid is warm cherry on the mid palate.
There is very little real tannin.
It is hard to taste sweetness, but it is not overly dry.

This is far better than the scott harvey 04 barbera. It is pretty balanced and very good for a $13.99 wine. Why pay 100 bucks when you can drink something like this.

Dillian is quickly becoming an allstar of the Steiner Road/Amador wineries. This wine has nose of oak/lite blackberry. Very soft mouth feel. Soft finish of citrusy acid tannin mix. This will impress the Eurowine lovers. 14% alc. Might have to buy directly from the winery. Tom Dillian was Vineyard manager for Montevina in the 70's. His Barbera was planted then. I have learned that it takes a case of wine to really understand what one has. It is no fun to have one bottle and wonder what it could be like. Barberas are not as fruity (although they seem to keep their fruit in aging) as zins or petite syrahs.

In the next few years the balance will be fantastic for this $20 wine.

Came across this thread while searching for notes on Scott Harvey Amador County Barbera having just tasted and purchased some of the 2002 vintage. I noticed in the Barbera tasting Victorwine reported, the #2 in average rating was a Rive Barbera d'Asti which is another wine I tried recently and liked.
Scott Harvey's website predicts that Barbera will become the primary wine of Amador County in time. Tom Hill had indicated that it is likely to be only a niche wine. Will be interesting to see how that develops in the years to come.

It will compete with Zins and Sangiovese's. Montevina's is probably the best value (TDO Version) Barbera. The prices are on the rise. The problem is that Barbera's are not easy to make right. They can generate off tastes easily through a reducing environment or brett. There is less fruit to mask other volatile flavors. The high acid barbera's however can become very balanced in amador versions.

The 05 Dillian is pretty hot. My only criticism is they seem to really like new oak. I like more neutral oal barrels.

WLD reviewers you have an impact. Search for Dillian Barbera on google and you get a WLD review.

Was going to keep this in my cellar but it warmed up and leaked so I thought might as well drink it.

There seems to be two styles of barbera making here (sierra foothills). One is to try to replicate a more european style with more acid and less fruitiness. The other allows some fruitiness which is not what one expects in Barberas.

This wine has grapes from the Cooper vineyard. There is only a trace of oak. The aroma is grape and a trace of tariness typical of barberas.
Mid palate is full of grapey fruitiness. So it falls into the second type barbera making style. As one that loves pure fruitiness this wine is easy drinking for me. There are no bretti, aldehydeish, reductive off tastes. The acid is soft sour ball as in a sour candy. The wine is not dry but the sweetness is hard to distinguish. Tannin is hard to distinquish.

Suprisingly there is no aging required.

I'm a fan of Runquist (R) Petite Sirah. Have you tried that yet Rod?

No but I like all of his wines, so I am sure I would like it.

Best Barbera I ever tasted came from Martin Brothers; a California Central Coast winery.

This is the wine Jenise originally reviewed. I see what she liked. Althought I only paid $10 for it, it does have what she originally described. A depth of fruit and acid together. The tannin holds the tastes together. The 03 version was bretti with off tastes. This is all fruit and warm acid. Barberas here remind me of petite syrahs without tannin. The acid removes any sense of ripeness too typical of Amador. 14.5% alc.