Vineyard Notes: The Walkers have been growing grapes in El Dorado County since the 1930’s. Their 220 acre property, sitting at 2100 ft of elevation, is planted to Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Barbera & Petite Sirah. The 2019 Barbera was sourced from their back vineyard, where the head-trained Barbera vines were planted in the 1970’s & are clones of the original plantings from the 30’s, grafted on St George rootstock. The vineyard soil is a coarse loam with lots of sand.

Cellar Notes: 1 ton of grapes destemmed to bin for fermentation. Pressed to tank & barreled down before fermentation was complete, then added some Barbera grape concentrate to bring the sugar level into dessert wine range. 1 of the 2 barrels had light American oak added to it to give it some toastiness, for the approx 3 years of elevage. The wine was bottled in July 2023.

Tasting Notes: The natural acidity of Barbera really comes through in this dessert wine version, though the aromas are all of dark & dried fruits - morello cherries, dried plums & dates - with a distinctly herbal edge. In the palate it is lusciously rich, with more dark fruits, chocolate, oregano & a raciness that helps moderate the sweetness.