2023 Barbera

The 2023 Cooper Barbera has a deep ruby-purple color with hues that carry a suggestion of magenta. The aroma delivers a mélange of red fruits--strawberries, cherries, and raspberries. A bouquet of buttered toast, hazelnut, caramel, and vanilla frames the Barbera fruit perfectly. Given some time in the glass, the bouquet builds and evolves, providing the wine with layers of nuance and complexity. The flavors of this wine exhibit a seldom-seen juxtaposition in wine: richness with bright acidity. The flavors coat the palate with luscious, ripe fruit--currants, plums, and blackberry--while maintaining the freshness that is Barbera. Typical of Barbera, the tannins are mild and contribute viscosity to the wine's texture without adding bitterness or astringency or displacing the fruit from center stage. Warm oak flavors join the fruit to generate a finish where flavors of chocolate and toast linger well. This is a big wine, and while I don't want you to refrain from enjoying it with pizza or pasta, I am looking forward to savoring this edition of the Cooper Barbera with braised lamb shanks, Osso Buco, and Margie's chicken puttanesca.