Barlow Vineyards
2008 Barlow Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
California: Napa Valley
Mission Briefing
Raise the Barr
We absolutely love Barlow’s wines and today’s fantastic, 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a wonderful follow-up to our previous offerings from this gem of a producer.
Dark fruit and earthy, savory characteristics combine to give the wine a lovely, complex overall composition. Layer upon layer of dark fruit seems to avail itself as the wine breathes, revealing deeper, more authentic flavors.
Pair with beef ribs or your favorite grilled steak. Highly recommended, drink this elegant, delicious wine now… or hold this age-worthy wonder for up to 10 more years.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Deep ruby red hues, with concentrated color, from core to edge. When swirled, tall, chubby legs take a long time to emerge before running slowly down the glass. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Bold black cherry, blackberry and vanilla spiced Bing cherry lead the way. Fresh cedar bark, dried American Beauty red rose petals, cassis, dried cranberry, sweet pipe tobacco and subtle, sweet brown spice. |
| Taste: | Softly spiced black cherry, blackberry and black plum fuse with dark, wild strawberry, dried brown tobacco leaf, dried fall leaves, savory herbs, cigar box, dried cranberry and a hint of cracked black pepper. |
| Finish: | Very long, with dark fruit gradually yielding to earthy, savory flavors of dried leaves, dried flowers, subtle tobacco and spice. |
| Pairing: |
What the Winery Says
The 2008 Barlow Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has a tremendous richness that is a result of the fruit’s ripeness and a solid tannin structure that will allow it to mature and soften nicely over time. Dark and decadent, the palate has a sweet rum raisin quality which is layered between crushed blackberries, black currant interwoven with tobacco leaf, smoke, and forest floor. A good showing of balance and complexity makes this wine accessible now. The aroma captures the essence of our property with black cherry, dark chocolate and just a hint of French vanilla.
Case Production: 357 cases
About the Winery
In 1994 our two generation enterprise, Warren and Jeanne Smith and Barr and Ann Smith, purchased 50 acres of vineyards just south of Calistoga at the upper end of the Napa Valley, an area well know for producing intense red wines. We relocated our family from Southern California seeking a life style change and to fulfill a life time dream.
In the first year the existing 25-year old Cabernet Sauvignon block was found to be badly diseased and was eliminated, leaving only one smaller block of disease resistant Cabernet Sauvignon, which was planted in 1992. The original Cabernet Sauvignon block was replanted with phylloxera resistant rootstock and clones 7 and 8 Cabernet Sauvignon. An eleven-acre block of Merlot was planted that year in a parcel that had been fallow for many years. The same year we added another parcel (4+ acres) of Merlot. Since that time, we have planted small blocks of Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot.
Our entry as a wine producer came about as the result of making a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, which was originally meant for family consumption. The winemaker informed us that the %100 single vineyard fruit had produced an outstanding full-bodied wine with marvelous flavors, a long finish and a great mouth feel. He suggested that we sell the wine instead of using it for Family and Friend’s consumption, which we did. All 25 cases! It was an instant success.
Since 1997, we have made larger quantities of wine exclusively from these lyre-trellised, down-slope vineyards fruit and are approaching our goal of 2000 cases per year. The vineyard has its own Napa Valley microclimate, with characteristics of warm days and cool nights.
As the vineyard reaches maturity, so do the wines it produces.
Enjoy! The Smith Family