Charles Smith K Vintners CasaSmith Jack’s Vineyard Barbera, Walla Walla Valley 2012 750ML ($39.95) Buy Now: $33 special
Charles Smith CasaSmith Jack’s Vineyard Barbera, Walla Walla Valley 2014
Italian taste meets Washington muscle. Winemaker Charles Smith took Piedmont’s Barbera grape and made it boldly American in this wine. Brooding, deeply pigmented, and stuffed full of ripe red fruit, earth, and roses, the 2012 Jack’s Vineyard Barbera is almost a meal in itself. Aged 26 months on the lees in 40% new French oak: here’s a big Washington wine, from the rocky Walla Walla Valley, that speaks Italian, with an American accent. Any fan of Washington wine should taste this ode to Italia. – Daniel