Nadeau Family Vintners is the result of years of effort by Robert Nadeau and his wife, Patrice. Together
they renovated a tiny barn in the mountains west of Paso Robles, transforming it into an efficient, wellequipped
micro-winery. Old-world styled vineyards have been planted on the slopes surrounding the
building…most of the planting is dedicated to dry-farmed, head-trained Zinfandel, with an acre or so
devoted to Grenache Noir and Petite Sirah. At nearly 2000 feet in elevation, the property is generally
and usually receives about twice the rainfall seen below in Paso Robles (Elev:
960’)
The Wine
Nadeau Family Vintners’ 2003 Barbera is a full-bodied red wine. Barbera’s elevated acid makes it a
desirable match for any tomato-based dishes. This is due to the high acid in tomatoes being balanced by
the elevated acidity in the wine. This Barbera is dark—almost opaque—in color. The aromas of the wine
are reminiscent of dark fruit with hints of oak, spice, and paraffin.
The Blend
This Barbera is from John Partridge’s vineyard and was blended with 10% Syrah (from Dr. Michael
Gill’s vineyard) to tame the acid and offer a broader mouthfeel.
The Vital Statistics
100% Paso Robles Appellation
100% 2003 Vintage
Harvest: October 20;
Harvest: 26.7
Brix; TA: 0.87 gm./100mL;
pH: 3.19
Finished Wine EtOH: 15.5% By Vol.
The grapes were fermented in small, open-top fermentors with commercial (proprietary) yeast for 9 days
on their skins then pressed in a small, horizontal basket-press. This wine was racked using a nitrogen
blanket and/or gravity. Aged in New to three year-old American Oak barrels until it was racked, filtered
and bottled unfined in April 2005
The 2003 Vintage yielded only 113 cases.
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