Synopsis, Our Opinion: GREAT Barbara!!!
Producer/Winery: Azienda Agricola Carussin of Bruna Ferro; San Marzano Oliveto, Italy.
Grape Variety: Barbara blend – 65% Barbera and roughly equal amounts Freisa, Dolcetto, and Grignolino..
Geographic Appellation: Piedmont, Italy.
Vintage: NV
Price: $18.00 – 1 Liter bottle (with a 10% mixed case discount)
Purchased From: The Caviste Wine Shop; Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Paired With: Little shell pasta with roasted tomato sauce, Caesar style salad with lots of garlic and lemon juice and a homemade baguette.
Tasting:
-
He said: Opened 1-hour before drinking. Opaque, dark purple with a lighter rim. The aroma had just a touch of tart cherry and ripe plum with hints of jasmine flowers on a still night. Strong dark fruit flavors, bright acidity, grippy tannins and a dry mouth puckering finish. Perfect pairing with the flavorful Italian herb and roasted tomato sauce. This wine is no sleeping violet and needed the rich tomato sauce to keep in in bounds. But, the two together created a symbiotic relationship. Similar to other Carussin Barbera’s, but defiantly one we recommend with tomato sauce. GREAT Barbara!!!
She said: Opaque, deep garnet red color with a slightly brown rim, lots of irregularly spaced thin, rapidly moving legs. This is a knock your socks off wine from start to finish. Big aroma and flavor that complemented the tomato sauce perfectly. In fact the wine had a sour taste at the back of the palate when sipped without the tomato sauce. The mouth-feel was dry and medium bodied with soft tannins. The finish was long and full of flavor. I love the pairing with this particular homemade sauce that was full of herb flavors but I don’t know that it would be as yummy with a less highly spiced sauce. It needs a strong tasting dinner and is a good value at $18.
Alcohol Content: 11.5%
UPC Code: 8 057284 419990
Imported by: Piedmont Wine Imports; Durham, North Carolina.
Photo from Carussin.