Top 6 Barberas

Comments: Smells a little gassy and a little grassy with candied plum and black raspberry notes gently emerging on the nose. Rather light and fresh in the mouth, this shows lovely crisp and finely textured tannins balanced by assertive yet not sharp acidity. In the mouth, the flavors are on the subtle side, with some earth-backed cherry and raspberry fruit. A really fine, long finish shows cherry pit fruit, a light dusty mineral tone and a hint of dried lime peel on the finale. Very elegant and well balanced if subtle. 90pts

Comments: Very perfumed on the nose with lovely suggestions of herb stems, candied flowers, ginseng and earth accenting the black currant fruit. Elegant in the mouth with lovely balance and fine richness to the fruit, which show early signs of damson plum and wild black cherry before revealing a little touch of roasted hazelnut on the mid-palate. This leads to more floral and ginseng-like accents on the back end. The finish shows lovely purity of fruit and a bright, zesty character. Lacks just a touch of complexity but is absolutely lovely. 89pts

Comments: Fresh and wonderfully textured in the mouth with cool flavors of raspberry and wild cherry with a hint of mulberry. The acidity here is bright and fresh but well integrated with the fruit. There are fine-grained tannins adding a little extra cut to the palate. The purity of the fruit here is lovely and the finish is long and very precise with a strong mineral vein adding a nice, almost medicinal tone to the fruit. Excellent persistence and balance make this a winner. 88pts

Comments: Nice, light mint and herb tones add some detail to the dusty, lightly smoky huckleberry fruit. Lovely acidity and brightness up front, this is appealing right off the bat. There is a lightness and elegance on the palate, yet this has great depth of flavor. The fruit turns aromatic and bright on the back end, picking up accent notes of tree bark, a hint of wood, some candied anise and Chinese five spice all wrapped around the transparent black raspberry fruit. The finish is a touch short and shows a bit of heat but with good complexity and appealing balance. 88pts

Comments: A bit herbal and stemmy on the nose but with attractive floral accents and a nice base of almost grapefruit red fruit. This is nicely done. Very clean and fresh with a lovely core of red apple skins, red plum and cranberry fruit, which shows a hint of fleshiness to help combat the juicy acidity here. The fruit gains hints of candied blackberry on the back end and a whisper of earthy tannin on the finish, rounding out a very fine wine. Almost feels a touch soft on the modest finish, but this has very broad appeal. 87pts

Comments: Rather clean and fresh with mint-toned grape skins, dusted with a little cocoa powder on the nose. Bright and juicy in the mouth, this shows a lovely leading edge of ripe fruit roundness followed by juicy acidity and a nice interplay of simple fresh fruit, plums and raspberries. A hint of allspice adds a bit of detail. The finish is clean and brisk and shows good persistence to the fruit. Delicious in a light and easy style. 87pts