2018 Chandler Reach Barbera Reserve

Today I want to bring you along to the Barbera grape which hails from northern Italy.  Like many Italian red grapes, this one has high acidity.  The nebbiolo grape often gets the spotlight out the region, but barbera is worth you checking out.  It is closer in nature to sangiovese which is the star grape in Tuscany (think Chianti or Brunello).  

This particular bottle comes from winemaker Len Parris of Chandler Reach Vineyard.  Len's reserve wines, formerly labeled as "Parris Reserve", are bold and have great aging potential.  The vineyard lies in the eastern end of the Yakima Valley AVA within sight of Red Mountain AVA.  The 2018 vintage was almost a text book perfect season - so my expectations are high for where this can go.  To get the most out of this bottle, I encourage you to decant this for 60-75 minutes prior to drinking.  Giving it that oxygen exposure and time really opens up the expressive fruit and more of the oak influenced characteristics.  The aromas start off for me with dried herbs and open up into red fruits and oak influences.  When you take that first sip you will feel that mouthwatering effect from the high acidity.  The cherry, plum, and bramble fruits carry through with stronger hints of toast and charred wood.  Like the nebbiolo grape, barbera creates a medium body wine.  The long, hot, summer days and cool nights of the Yakima Valley give these grapes ample conditions and time to ripen.  By itself, the wine has a lingering, but not quite long finish.  It is quite drinkable now for those who like a bold red wine, but it is still developing with potential to age much longer.

For those who tend to prefer acidic foods, this wine is made to pair with you.  A bolognese sauce with gnocchi is a sure bet.  As a wine pairing tip acid pairs well with acid.  It also works just as well with pizza for a more casual night.  Earlier in the spring, I paired the 2010 vintage with a smoked brisket and Carolina style sauce.   The 2010 Barbera was still a medium purple with strong red fruit flavors and integrated oak characteristics.  It was well balanced and integrated while not yet showing the tertiary characteristics or color from age.  If the 2010 vintage is a measure for potential, the 2018 could easily go 10-20 years.

The Chandler Reach 2018 Barbera Reserve delivers as a bold, red wine that works well with high acid foods and has many years of potential aging (for those who are patient enough to wait).

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