Imagery Estate Winery, Pine Mountain – Cloverdale Peak (Sonoma County, California) Barbera 2014

This terrific wine doesn’t bear a lot of resemblance to its Piedmontese counterparts, but it is so good that it need not mimic anything else.  Very dark color, fully ripe aromas and flavors and dense fruit all betray this as a California wine, but it also achieves “varietal character” thanks to a bright beam of acidity that rides straight through the persistent finish.  The blackberry fruit notes display admirable purity, and only the faintest whiff of heat in the finish holds this down from an even higher score.  Among the best Barberas I’ve ever tasted from the Golden State.  A Platinum Award winner at the 2017 San Diego Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition.