WARNING: Drinking distilled spirits, beer,
coolers, wine and other alcoholic
beverages may increase cancer risk, and
during pregnancy, can cause birth defects.
For more information go to
www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol .
2023 St. Amant Barbera
Originally planted for Gallo Hearty Burgundy back in the 1972 by family friend Ted Leventini. Ted had been pestering us for a number of years to make a Barbera, but we had plenty of unusual and lesser-known wines, that we really didn’t need another. However, Ted, an accomplished chef, ended up cooking for my wedding, and we felt obligated to make a little wine. In 1998 Ted snuck a few tons away from our southerly neighbor. The wine was an instant success–winning numerous awards and selling out in months and has since been a mainstay of the St.Amant line of wine for nearly 30 years.
This old, gnarled vineyard consistently yields a small crop of compact, palm-sized clusters. The 2023 growing season was notably cool, resulting in a later-than-usual harvest and beautifully developed flavors at lower alcohol levels. The grapes were hand-sorted into three separate lots, about half underwent native fermentation, while the rest were inoculated with selected yeast strains. After pressing, the young wine was racked into 60- and 70-gallon American and French oak barrels (15% new) for 10 months of aging. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in barrel. The finished wine offers vibrant natural acidity and bright, fresh fruit flavors that make it especially delicious.