Today I am tasting the 2007 Piemonte Barbera by S. Orsola from Italy. This 100% Barbera grape varietal wine was found for under $6. Barbera wines are known for their acid and fruitiness. It will be interesting to taste this one. I’ve decided to make this a multi-day review to see how this wine changes.
Day One
I’ve just opened the bottle.
Color
The color of this wine in the glass is deep garnet red.
Aroma
This wine has a good nose. There is some good dark chocolate and raspberry with just a hint of cedar. There is also just a hint of earthy tones. Sort of like wet soil.
Flavor
This is a pretty light wine. It is quite light bodied. On the attack there is some cherry and red currant. The mid-palate shows more cherry and soft tannins. The finish falls off quickly with sour cherry. For a Barbera this is not very acidic at all. It should pair well with pasta and pizza.
Rating
Although it is hard to complain about a wine this cheap, it was still a bit light and simple for me. I don’t recommend it, but always stick to your own palate. It may match it. As for me, I rate it 82 points.
Day Two
The wine has now been opened for about 24 hours. It has been re-corked but not vacuum sealed.
Aroma
Blackberry is coming across quite strongly on the nose along with a little oak. I am still getting a dark chocolate component. There is also some black currant now too. Similar to the previous day this wine’s aroma is very good.
Flavor
The attack is quite sweet and fruity today. It has cherry, strawberry and red currant components. The mid-palate switches to a nice sour cherry note. The finish is still quick and continues the sour cherries with a little dry tannins in the mix. As with Day One, it is a light wine and the acidity is still low. Overall the flavor profile has improved significantly after 24 hours. It will pair well with pizza and pasta dishes.
Rating
Due to the improvement in the flavor profile, this wine is now much more interesting. I rate it 85 points.
Day Three
The bottle has now been open for over 48 hours.
Aroma
In the glass the wine is still full of oak and black cherry components. There is blackberry mixed in there too. It does seem less intense than in previous days.
Flavor
Today it seems to be a light, thin wine again. The attack has some cherry and strawberry. Sour cherry and mild tannins then continue on through the mid-palate to the finish. It leaves quickly. It will still pair with pizza.
Rating
Today it is not to my liking. It is just too thin and simple. I rate it 81 points.
Summary
Overall I found this wine to be lacking in interesting flavors and a bit too light for my palate. However, it may fit your palate and if so, it is priced attractively.
You peged this quite well much better on the second day
Probably could achieve the same effect with 3 hours of decanting. It definitely improved. Did you notice any change in the type of flavors/aromas? I saw it go from red fruit on day one to more black fruit on day two.