2012 Forgeron Sagemoor Barbera

Today is the first day that really felt like Spring around here, it was raining and humid with a high in the low 70s, so not bad really.  In honor of the first feels like Spring day, I've decided to have some barbecue tonight and what could be better with barbecue than Zinfandel?  Barbera!  And tonight I've opened a bottle of the 2012 Forgeron Sagemoor Barbera which I received as one of my Spring wine club selections.  I reviewed the 2011 Vintage here about a year ago, so now we can see how the current vintage stacks up.

The color is a rich garnet in the glass.  The nose is an intriguing combination of fresh herbs, white pepper and ripe berries, blackberry, cassis and tart cherry.  The taste is a rush of ripe fruit, cherries, boysenberry and plum that transitions to some dark chocolate and cherry cola notes midpalate.  The firm tannins provide a nice frame for the opulent, long and lush finish that just beckons you to another sip.  This is certainly one of those inherently food friendly wines as well, sure to please while cooking and eating.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's pleasant and drinking well now, and it was a pretty good value at $25, such that I don't feel at all bad about enjoying this one on a Thursday night!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some barbecued country style pork ribs with some mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus.  The fruit and spice in this wine just meld with the richness of the pork, but then again with such a food friendly wine, how could it not go well?  Cheers!