Paso Robles Barbera? É Vero!

I was recently on a road trip to the bay area and I found that my return trip took me through Paso Robles, (funny, that).   I was a bit parched from the journey and pointed the 4 Runner into the parking lot of the Eberle winery.

I’m told that Gary Eberle is somewhat of a Paso Robles legend, and judging by the number of cars in the parking lot, I’d say he has a good reputation.

After passing the bronze boar in front of the tasting room (Eberle in German means “small boar”), I entered the tasting room and was greeted by a table of free tri-tip and barbecued sausage.  Not one to turn down a free meal, I sampled some of the food and then promptly signed up for the tour of the wine caves.

16,000 square feet of caves sit below the tasting room and the winery, and make for optimal wine aging.  It was a fascinating tour, and upon completion, I sat down at the tasting bar with my friend Anthony.  The ever-smiling Dana, one of Eberle’s tasting room hosts, began to pour from the Eberle estate wines.  While all were good, the 2006 Barbera was our favorite, and I had to bring a bottle home for further tasting.

I have to admit, I have only heard of Barbera in reference to Italian wines, (the Piedmont area), but I’m pleased to say Eberle has made it their own, despite the fact that they’re located in California.

Apparently, this is one of Eberle’s best small production wines. It has a beautiful, light color.  It’s smooth in my mouth with raspberry, cherry and a touch of spice.  It has a bright acidity with very little tannins.

I drank a glass on it’s own while I threw some chicken on the grill.  Once the bird was done and sauced up with some BBQ sauce, this wine still worked wonderfully.  My little trip to Italy by way of Paso Robles…