March 2007 Wine Tasting Notes:
2004 Barreto Cellars Tempranillo, Paso Robles.
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This wine is smoky, dark ruby in color. The nose displays medium intensity dusty dark berries (black currant and black cherry) followed by light leather notes and a hint of vanilla. The palate gives light cherry flavors and distinct oak notes with a hint of peppery spice. Acids, tannins and alcohol are appropriate for this composition. This full bodied wine has a smooth, somewhat spicy mouthfeel. A medium finish of light cherry and strawberry follows. |
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Cumulative Score: 88 breakdown 14.7% Alcohol $23.99 Retail (from winery); 45 cases produced |
Spicy and juicy, this 2004 offering is a bit leaner and a bit more austere than the Lodi Tempranillo of the same vintage. This composed offering maintains a fruity character free of dominant leathery and barny characteristics seen in some Tempranillos. Distinct oak notes expand its breadth. The juicy finish comes somewhat unexpectedly and lingers. Pair this wine with hearty dishes built around red meats for about the next 5 years. |
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98% Tempranillo, 2% Tannat sourced from Ohana Vineyard. Aged 18 months in French oak, 30% new.
The thick-skinned Spanish Tempranillo is believed to originate in northern Spain and some have suggested that it shares its ancestral lineage with Pinot Noir. The primary grape of Rioja wines, it has been called the Spanish answer to Cabernet Sauvignon. The name, Tempranillo, is a derivation of “temprano” – the Spanish word for “early” This is very fitting as the variety ripens several weeks earlier than other red varieties. It has almost always been used as part of a blend in dry table wines, often with Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan or Grenache and the lesser know Graciano, Mazuelo and Monastrell. Tempranillo plays a minor role in Port (called Tinta Roriz in Portugal. Read more about Port.). It is typified by lower acidity and lower sugars (and, thus, lower potential alcohol). This characteristic makes it both successful in hot climates and an excellent food pairing. Although it is planted in Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Australia, California and Chile it is at its best produces its best results in cooler growing regions. Tempranillo produces deep-colored wines with tannins approachable in youth. It can also withstand a heavier oak treatment and age gracefully in both barrel and bottle. In its youth, Tempranillo offers strawberry, cherry and black currant aromas and flavors accompanied by toffee, spices, herbal and earthy characteristics such as olive and tobacco as well as leather and mineral elements. It is a grape of many names depending on location and it is believed that much of the Valdepeñas grown for California’s jug wines is actually Tempranillo.
Tannat is believed to be of Basque origin. This thick-skinned grape from the Pyrenees, in the southwest of France, most likely derives its name from its character. It is most commonly known to connoisseurs as the key grape in the aromatic and tannic Madiran wines of southwestern France (where it seems to be on the decline). Its other claim to global fame is that it is thought to have been the grape that started Uruguay's wine industry. It is easy to grow, being a consistent producer of moderate yields. A thick skin protects this late ripening variety from grey rot and powdery mildew and frost. Tannat produces rich, full-bodied, tannic red wines from its dark berries. While it is conventionally blended with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it is not the secret ingredient in 'fruit-bombs'. Notably, though, it makes for popular varietal wines in Central America. Outside of France and Uruguay, it is grown in Argentina and, in limited amounts in California and a few other states after receiving official recognition fro the TTB in 2002 (as a result of a petition put forth by Tablas Creek Vineyard). It can be austere and hard to approach in its youth but its natural acidity preserves its fruit while the tannins soften over time. Tannat can express strong plum raspberry but these are generally dominated by spicy characteristics such as cocoa, coffee and vanilla accented by leathery notes.
The hot 2004 growing season was one of the shortest in the history of the state. Harvest came two to three weeks earlier than usual, at the start of August. Statewide reports of light to normal yields of excellent quality fruit with superb extraction raised anticipation of the wines to come. While this "crop of crops" was lauded as producing highly extracted fruit, some wines have been rather unbalanced while others were stunning an memorable. This seems to depend more on the combination of AVA and vineyard management, rather than winemaking techniques. Each offering from this vintage should be judged individually and not by virtue of vintage alone since the shortened growing season affected different varietals in different AVAs and even vineyards.
Ohana is a small vineyard on the eastern border of the Paso Robles AVA. Hillary and Simon Graves (who manages other vineyards, professionally) applies strict growing practices to produce his Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Tannat and Tempranillo.
Barreto Cellars was unofficially born in 2002 when husband and wife Michael and Joey Barreto moved to the Central Coast region after leaving their jobs and selling their house in 2001 with the aim of claiming their stake in the wine boom. Michael Barreto first made home wine. As his fascination grew, he became very serious about learning the ins and outs of winemaking and went back to school, taking classes at Fresno State. In 2001, he took on a job as a cellar worker at Courtside Cellars in San Miguel and in 2003 he became assistant winemaker at Sylvester Winery and began to make wines under his own label in that facility. Making generally small lots, he approaches wine making with a minimalist philosophy of gentle handling. His wines are a New World take on Spanish and Portuguese wines and offer wine lovers partial to more extracted and expressive wines an opportunity to enjoy these varieties.
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5 points |
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Nose |
3 points |
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Palate |
2 points |
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Finish |
3 points |
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Tannins |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 points |
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Alcohol |
5 points |
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Aging potential |
2 points |
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Overall quality |
8 points |
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