In The Barrel
We welcome you to follow along in the barrel room as the BARRA of Mendocino wines progress through the winemaking process. From winemaker notes to harvest updates, we hope our regular postings provide you with some fun information to share with your family and friends while enjoying the Barra of Mendocino wines. Questions about the Barra wines? Email us at info@barraofmendocino.com
February 2007: Charlie, Shawn and Martha tasted through all the 2006 wines a couple of weeks ago, and were so pleased with the depth of flavors, the richness of the “big reds”, like the Zinfandel, Cabernet and Petite Sirah, and the nose that enhanced both the reds and the whites. The tannins and the fruit are in balance in the Pinot Noir, and we are sure you will find these wines to be a true reflection of the terroir of our appellation.
Even though Charlie pruned the Muscat Canelli in the usual method, it gave us only about a third of the crop. The weather was very rainy during the bloom time of this early-maturing varietal. The 2006 vintage will be limited, so we are considering making it go further by putting it in 500 ml bottles. Muscat Canelli is our most popular wine in the tasting room. Visitors’ comments, when describing the wine, are either “Wow!” or “Yum!”.
It is the Sangiovese that sprung to the forefront on the “memory palate” while tasting the wines. This wine from the 2006 vintage requires no blending to make it taste like a “super Tuscan”. It is already full of structure, flavors of plums and blackberries, and has a great mid-palate as well as long, concentrated finish.
