Hopewell Valley - Barbera

Price: $16.95

Region: New Jersey

Year: 2007

It has been far too long since I've sat down and wrote a review, and I have quite a backlog to get to. Part of the delay was that I was on a family vacation in Maine. While the normal evening would consist of a beer or two, I was definitely looking for a different kind of wine to review as well. As luck would have it, my sister who went along with us, brought a bottle of wine along for me that I definitely had not tried before. Not her full time job, but as a little side project, she has been working at a local winery in New Jersey. So, knowing that I love a good red wine, she grabbed a bottle of Barbera from Hopewell Valley Vineyards.

Now, I will be the first to admit, when I look for a bottle of wine each week to review, the New Jersey section of my favorite wine shop is not prominently displayed (if its there at all). So, not only do I know I never had a wine from Hopewell Valley, I can't remember ever having a wine from New Jersey. I can't say that was going to stop me from giving this wine a try with a nice seafood dinner. I will also admit I am not completely up on all of the Italian varietals, but whenever I hear the name of this wine, a big bold red always comes to mind. Not sure if that is completely accurate, but we'll go with it for now.

So, I sat down with a plate of scallops, and my bottle of Hopewell Valley Barbera. When I poured my first glass, I found it to have a very nice red color, albeit it touch lighter then I as expecting. This could very well be my ignorance, but nonetheless, nothing to be concerned about. When I gave my glass a swirl, and took a whif, I was fairly impressed at the pleasant smell, with a bit of an earthy background. Really not bad at all. So, when it was time to give it a taste, I wasn't completely shocked that is was actually quite good. It had a nice smooth flavor that hit the tongue immediately, and hung around quite nicely with very good balance. It definitely didn't have a big bite to it, but instead just kind of faded away, at which point I wanted to have another sip. I beleive if I had written some notes down before I gave it a try, based on my expectations, I would have to say it would have exceeded them. Would definitely stop by an pick up another bottle if I happen to be driving by Hopewell Valley. If for no other reason then to say hi to my sister.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Pleasantly surprised)