WTN: Barbera Eden

[David M. Bueker]

2017 Idlewild Barbera Fox Hill Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino (9/11/2022)
Having a ridiculously rich pizza for dinner? Need a wine to cut through it, and also pair up with the flavors? This is an excellent choice right now. It still has all the blazing exuberance that it started with a few years back, and time has added further depth to the fruit. It has added a touch of succulence. The wine needs food to buffer the acidity, but that same acidity makes the rich food more balanced. Feels like this can go for quite a bit longer, though the next 18-24 months will probably show it to best effect.

[Jenise]

It's surprising how rich their barbera is--too much for me based on what they poured in the tasting room a few months ago. Are there other Cal-Barberas you like? It's been a long time since I've been around Amador versions of same, but I recall quite liking a few (not named Renwood) that, if memory serves well and it may not, were closer to Italian at least wrt balance between fruit and acidity.

[David M. Bueker]

Not really all that much of a Barbera fan at all. I enjoy one every once in a while specifically with extra rich/flavorful food which better deals with the excesses of the grape.