• They didn’t call it a “Meritage”
• Syrah is not regarded as one of the “Noble Grapes”

Speaking of Meritage, the Meritage Association has a fun and informative site worth checking out: http://www.meritagewine.org/home

At any rate, if someone could leave a comment or contact me regarding information on the rules, it would be much-appreciated. Now let’s get into the wine.

Color

Stiff, thick purple. Nothing light in this baby, and seeing as it’s hot as hell out there right now, I should apologize for reviewing it at this time. That said, save this for after sundown.

Nose

Oak, creamy vanilla and very fruit-forward. Lot’s of blackcurrant and even some prune. The wine was aged in American Oak for 23 months, which was very smart on the winemaker’s part (I’m sure he’s looking for my novice approval) because if it had been French Oak, this baby would have been a BEAST.

Taste

The fruit explodes here and almost overdoes it, but the alcohol is present enough to back it up. 2007 was a late year, meaning much of the fruit in Northern California had to stay on the vine longer than usual in order to achieve maximum maturity. This tardiness on the part of the fruit makes this wine great, not only because it ripened a bit more, but because the vines didn’t have it easy, thereby making the fruit more concentrated. The wine is your standard office building: straight-up structure, nothing flashy, and it really serves it’s purpose well. The American Oak comes in to finish off the deep prune and blackberry flavors with a little creamy smoke.

With Food

I see this wine as not over-the-top when it comes to fruit, despite the explosion mentioned above, so I think it would do well with something Provencal or stewed. I wouldn’t pair this with barbecued foods or cheese. Lamb stews, Coq au Vin, or something similar.

Where to Buy

$10.96 at WinesThatWork.com!

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While there is still a large section of the winemaking industry that produces wines minus organic or sustainable practices (mostly the larger, corporate wineries), the majority of boutique and smaller wineries have all adopted sound environmental practices.

What’s ironic (and great) is that many of the wines we have reviewed in the past year have actually been wines produced organically and sustainably. We’ve even tasted a wine whose winemaker used sheep to weed his vineyards (it was over $20 so we couldn’t review it, but it’s called Osso Libre).

But enough of that for now, on to the Barra Organic Pinot Grigio:

COLOR: A nice, off-clear white. Don’t know how else to describe it besides my favorite description: lemon water.

NOSE: Tight, a little lacking. Some sour green apple and, if you can believe this, green Sour Patch Kids. That’s what popped into my head. And I don’t even like Sour Patch Kids.

TASTE: Very crisp with a strong pear element. Good flowers breeze up to your nose through the mouth. The balance is there, but that’s about it. The wine is a big fat yawn for the most part. It’s attractive because it touts “Organic” on the label (something few wineries do, even if they are organic), but beyond eliminating the guilt you might have felt destroying the environment with every sip, the wine is pretty basic.

WITH FOOD: As Pinot Grigios go, it’s a great appetizer wine with some thick cheese or a shellfish starter. Not really a solid dinner wine.

WHERE TO BUY: $16.99 at WineMerchantCincinnatti.com!

WINERY WEBSITE: http://www.barraofmendocino.com/barra/index.jsp

I’m thinking about promoting a specific section on Wine Welfare for organic or sustainably produced wines. Let me know what you think in the comments section!

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