Category Archives: Barbera

2013 Coriole Barbera

Certainly up among the best releases of Coriole’s Barbera. Exudes drinkability, possesses distinguished length and has a few wrinkles up its sleeve. Love the glide of acidity, love the understated nudge of tannin, love the brightness. Red cherry-berry sweetness on … Continue reading

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2011 Marchesi Alfieri La Tota Barbera d’Asti

A little sweeter than the Mirafiore Barbera reviewed below. Oak is higher in the mix, offering a vanilla sheen. Imported by Beaune & Beyond. Quite concentrated raspberry and red cherry flavours sitting atop bay leaf and earth. A dash of spice … Continue reading

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2010 Mirafiore Barbera d’Alba Superiore DOC

From Estate owned vineyards near Serralunga d’Alba in the east of Barolo and matured in large format (2,000 litre – 14,000 litre) barrels for twelve months. Imported by Fourth Wave Wine. A little bit of reduction blows off and we’re … Continue reading

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2012 Handcrafted by Geoff Hardy Barbera

It’s varietal in the sense that the acidity is pert but the flavours make for quite a quandary. It smells and tastes mostly of red apples and aniseed. Those cherry notes that I expect in a Barbera are firmly in the … Continue reading

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2013 Boireann La Cima Barbera Rosata

There was bugger all left to taste at Boireann when I dropped in earlier this month. No surprise that the 2012 releases had sold quickly. Some of the 2013s looked smart in barrel, particularly the Shiraz Viognier. Therese Stark was … Continue reading

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2012 Golden Grove Estate Vintage Grand Reserve Barbera

Contains 5-10% Durif to counter Barbera’s naturally high acidity while adding a bit of colour and tannin. Smart blending. Usually made “in the peasant style my Grandfather loved to drink copious amounts of” Ray remarks, but the vintage allowed for a fuller bodied take … Continue reading

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2010 Topper’s Mountain Barbera

For the uninitiated, Topper’s Mountain are situated in the New England wine region on the border of New South Wales and Queensland. They’re engaged in a lot of different projects at the moment, and what’s more they are carrying them … Continue reading

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2012 Coriole Barbera

Funnily enough, I actually preferred the 2011 Coriole Barbera to this 2012. Still, it’s a good wine. Region and variety are both clearly expressed. Structured primarily by acidity as is usually the case with the grape. Lots of it too … Continue reading

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2011 Margan White Label Limited Release Barbera

Andrew Margan makes some very good wine in the Hunter Valley. Unfortunately this isn’t one of them. If you’re going to give it a crack, decant it. It opens up shrill with abrasive, clumsy tannin. All disjointed - up and down … Continue reading

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2011 Coriole Barbera

A product of a wet, cool year for sure but a succesful one at that. I’m not overly fond of generalisations about the quality of the 2011 vintage. I’ve seen too many highs and lows. There are definitive herbal notes on the nose … Continue reading

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