Friends of Your L.A. – If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Reverdito Michele. Be sure to read our mission report for the complete background on the Your L.A. operation.

Mission Codename: Spies in L.A.

Operative: Agent White, Agent Gold and a New Recruit

Objective: Expose the Underground L.A. Wine Scene

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Reverdito Michele

Wine Subject: 2004 Barbera d’Alba Delia

Winemaker: Michele Reverdito

Backgrounder: While many dismiss Barbera, it is the most prolific and the greatest of Barbera grapes in all of the Piedmont are from Alba. The best of Barbera is, like this wine, the Barbera d’Alba which can match any Barolo or Barbaresco in terms of overall quality. Barbera d’Alba is characteristically rich and full of flavor and makes up just a small percentage of the total production of the region.

Barberas are usually quite acidic when young and therefore, in our opinion, are improved with age, when the colors, aromas and flavors integrate. They are usually ruby red in color, with solid fruit of raspberries and tart pomegranates. When young they are lighter, fresh and fruity.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Ruby red and garnet hues and excellent clarity with pink edges and springy surface that is quite luminescent.

Smell – Intense, but balanced fruit including tart blackberries with additional layers of toasted and slightly smokey oak, hints of earth and herbal licorice.

Feel – Smooth but solid and structured tannins and bright acidity.

Taste – Tart cherries and blackberries dominate initially, followed by layers of oak, and earthy quality and a slight herbal and licorice hints.

Finish – Long, smooth and somewhat dry in finish, that teases you with its hints of fruit and a smokiness.

Conclusion – The 2004 Reverdito Michele Barbera d’Abla Delia is an excellent single vineyard Barbera. While Barberas are generally overlooked for the so-called more elegant Barolos or feminine Barbarescos, this wine stands on its own with true varietal character, solid bouquet, and flavors. It is full-bodied and yet still bright. This is a wine that will complement a wide variety of foods and certainly belongs on your personal wine list.

Mission Report:

Having just returned from several long missions in Italy and France, I was anxious to get back to our Southern California operations center. Life on the road can be taxing, and I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for the first time in weeks.

Within minutes of walking into the door, my cell phone rang. “Agent White,” the voice asked, recognizing it as Agent Pinot, “yes, Pinot, what can I do for you?” We have an urgent dispatch and need you to scope out a prospective new asset." “When,” I asked, “Now, as it get your self rolling, haven’t you checked your voice mail?” Pinot questioned.

“No, I just got in, you know that,” I responded. "Doesn’t that Blackberry of yours work?, Agent Gold is waiting for you at the 3rd Stop Gastropub (satellite photo), get down there now and bring that bottle of 2004 Reverdito Michele Barbera d’Alba Delia you’re stashing away with you, and yes, we’ve been watching, as he laughed in his trademark sinister manner."

The 3rd Stop, is my local watering hole wine bar. Known to be frequented by several of our assets, we had a potential new recruit to ‘evaluate’. "How did he know about the Reverdito, I thought to myself… I thought I had been careful, I was planning on saving this one for dinner with Agent Blush.

I walked in and Agent Gold met me at the door. She had done her homework and was, as usual, wearing her signature gold boots – only in L.A., but that’s what makes life here fun. “Has Pinot brought you up to speed,” she asked. The puzzled look on my face, as answer enough.

As it turns out, The Wine Spies had been under surveillance by another ‘spy’ organization. This one the local folks at Your L.A. Your L.A.’s mission is to spy out all that is cool in the Los Angeles area and we had been on their radar. They sent an operative to see if The Wine Spies had what it takes.

With pleasantries aside, and our initial evaluation done, we popped open the wine. I had hoped to get a chance to keep this one for myself. Everyone knows my love for Italian wines, but like most wines, they are best enjoyed with friends, and this was no exception. Agent Gold, and Agent Rose (as our Your L.A. asset will now be named) loved the wine. And for good reason.

It is wines like today’s from Reverdito Michele that make The Wine Spies unique. This wine is only available through us, by way of top secret negotiations with the winery and importer. If you want to know how we are able to covert operatives so quickly, get yourself a bottle, and the answer will become apparent.

The Wine Spies looks forward to having several Your L.A. operatives join us on our mission of discovering the exceptional wines, with great undercover deals, once each day…

Mission Postscript:

Local agents and operatives can find The Wine Spies regularly at the 3rd Stop – if you are ever in the area, drop on by for a glass and perhaps a TOP SECRET tasting.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Alba region in the Piedmont of Northwest Italy can be seen in this satellite photo.