Probably the most recognized California region for producing quality Barbera wines is Amador County in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Typically Barbera wines from this appellation are big and rich with plenty of flavor, tannins and alcohol. This is Navarro's second Barbera that we've produced and for this vintage we decided to harvest the fruit a little less ripe than the prior vintage. The result is less alcohol and more acidity, making the wine more food-friendly which seemed fitting as Barbera in the old country was a workingman's everyday vino meant to accompany dinner. The grapes were destemmed then fermented in an open top tank so that we could avoid pumping and, instead, punch down the rising cap by hand a couple of times a day. The wine was racked to barrels to complete primary and secondary fermentations and aged for ten months followed by another two years in the bottle. Gold Medal winner. Best of Class.