Vintage
With some of the lowest yields in recent memory, 2005 will go down as one of our most successful and demanding vintages. Poor weather throughout California in the spring resulted in poor fruit set and consequently lower yields. Low yields and a perfect weather during prime ripening weather allowed us to harvest perfectly ripe fruit that was packed with concentrated flavors, yielding wines with delicious fruit.
Vineyard
Dick Martella, Winemaker Michael Martella’s brother, farms our Barbera at his mountain vineyard in the Fiddletown AVA. The red soils and warm weather seem to be well suited for this Piedmont variety.
Winemaking
Harvest took place on November 2, a seriously late harvest. The “indian-summer” we experienced in September disappeared in October. We essentially played chicken with Mother Nature for weeks, outlasting one of the worst seasons for mildew in recent memory. We were rewarded with of some of the most striking Barbera fruit ever. We drained off about 5% of the juice to concentrate the resulting wine after a few hours of cold soaking. Pre-fermentation maceration lasted for 3 days, upon which time we inoculated for primary fermentation with an isolate from Piedmont. Aged in older French Oak for 15 months this wine is a fantastic expression of Sierra Foothills
Barbera. 5% Alicante Bouschet from the Oleta vineyard was co-fermented to add depth, complexity and spice.
Tasting Notes
Our 2005 Oleta is a really complex and delicious wine that really speaks to its place of origin. Lots of pepper, cherry, tar, rose-hips and earth. A recent vertical of Fogarty Barbera left everyone thinking this could quite possibly our best Barbera ever! This is complex, soil driven Barbera from a great vintage, drink now or hold for medium term cellaring.
Other products in the category All wines:
RELATED PRODUCTS
Thomas Fogarty Winery Products
|
||||
|
||||