2014 vintage notes
Andy and I are rabid Barbera fans. We crave the stuff. In our combined years of tasting Northwest wines, we’ve not tasted a domestic Barbera that we’ve wanted to drink a glass of. The best has been “pretty okay red wine” and the worst, down the drain! But this juice, from the winemaking/marketing machine that is Charles Smith, is spot on. It tastes like Barbera. I repeat: it tastes like Barbera! The highest compliment, from a couple curmudgeonly skeptics.
93 points Wine Advocate: “On another level, and worth the uptick in price, the 250-case 2014 Barbera Cervo (from vines planted in 1997 and tiny, tiny yields) was brought up all in barrique and is easily the finest example of this variety I’ve tasted from Washington. Elegant, layered and concentrated, with a serious feel in its black cherry, lavender, underbrush and peppery herbs bouquet, this terrific effort is a real head-turner that readers should seek out!”