2023 Barbera, Happy Canyon

Barbera is such a joy to drink. She has enough complexity and depth to keep your interest, without being over done and hard to understand. A perfect pairing for every day drinking, in particular with red sauced dishes like pizza and pasta. The cool weather that persisted throughout the growing season and into the harvest period helped preserve the lighter strawberry and tart cherry aromas layered with black pepper, tea leaf, and a touch of baking spice, particularly clove. The acidity carries through to the finish giving a strong backbone to the mid-weight palate. All hand-picked in the early morning and destemmed into 1.5 ton open-top fermenter. After three days of cold soaking, the fermentation kicked off without the addition of commercial yeasts. Gentle punch downs were utilized to keep the cap wet, typically just once per day. After 28 days the must was basket pressed into neutral barrels where it aged without racking for 20 months. It was bottled without fining or filtration in July 2025.