2022 Barra Reserve Pinot Noir and Perhaps Not a Common Food Pairing
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
BARRA of Mendocino has a new label for their line of Reserve wines which are all CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers). It is in honor of a historic oak tree found on its home ranch on the Redwood Valley Vineyards. It is both foiled oak and grape leaves, embossed on a black background. On the back of the bottle, it states it is symbolic of their 70-year history making wine as in “Like an old oak tree, our roots run deep”. Martha Barra, winery owner and co-founder states “A powerful icon in our vineyards, the oak tree represents wisdom and knowledge, strength and endurance, stability and honesty”.
Photo from Barra website
Charlie followed his father and maternal grandfather who migrated to Mendocino County from Piedmont, Italy in 1906. Charlie began farming grapes in the mid 1940’s and in 1954 purchased Redwood Valley Vineyards. He worked vigorously with Karl Wente, Robert Mondavi and others to be one of the first growers of many varietals planted on the North Coast. Today the ranch grows organically Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Muscat Canelli. Besides the BARRA of Mendocino label, they have two other labels, Girasole Vineyards and CORO Mendocino. Charlie passed away in 2019 and his wife Martha who worked with him for almost 40 years, is heading the family winery which now stands at 350 acres and a 2.8-million-gallon custom crush facility. They launched the BARRA of Mendocino Brand in 1997 and the Girasole Brand in 2003. Their son and daughter also have major responsibilities to keep the “family farm” running.
For more on BARRA’s CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) and Charlie’s 55-year history developing the land click below for details at:
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This was truly a surprisingly good wine! It was rated 90 points by Wine Enthusiast and 93 points by Northcoast Wine Challenge. The wine came from two vineyards and was handpicked, destemmed, crushed and moved to stainless steel tanks. Here it went through primary and secondary fermentation. Then racked to 25% new French oak barrels and the balance being neutral. The alcohol level came in at 14.5% with 996 cases being produced. The astonishing fact besides the solid taste is that it is sold for $26/bottle!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
On the eyes it is ruby red and semi-translucent with medium viscosity. On the nose strong aromas of black cherry and secondary hints of raspberry. With the first sip, just a faint typical strawberry presence, but that is quickly overcome with rich and luscious black berry and red licorice. Noted on the finish was a refreshing minerality and vanilla. Picked up a slight “cotton candy” element. The wine, while not sweet, had a distinct fruit quality that helped in the food pairing.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with baked chicken enchiladas. The chicken was first pressure cooked with salsa and taco seasoning. Then wrapped in a flour tortilla and baked. The ingredients included corn kernels, cumin, dried oregano, cayenne, salt & pepper and thinly sliced scallions. Plated with a freshly prepared Pico De Gallo. It called for cream cheese and topped with cheddar cheese, but I did not choose this option. Accompanied by a sweet yellow corn and a fresh Santa Fe chicken salad with iceberg lettuce, chicken, roasted corn, cheese and tortilla chips.
While the meal was not new to us, the food and wine pairing was a bit risky. The balancing of the dish’s rich and savory and slightly spicy flavors was spectacular. Loire Pinot Noir was a suggestion and having the Barra from Mendocino, a bit “lighter & sweeter” with cherry and raspberry, provided a great counterbalance to the chicken enchilada. Also serving it slightly chilled allowed for the coolness of the wine to encapsulate and calm down the spicy Pico De Gallo.
This was a great food and wine pairing and reminded me of the anonymous quote “Adventure may hurt you, but monotony will kill you”. This experiment was a success!
Sláinte,
Michael