The wines from First Ridge walk with a charismatic charm and this Barbera is no different.
Barbera is the flagship wine at First Ridge but this 2023 doesn't ascend to the heights of the 2022. It opens with scents of raspberries, licorice, twigs, raspberry tea and earth that effortlessly diffuse from the glass. Dark cherries and dark plums build form with dark chocolate ensuring that there is a respectable coating of fruit through the palate, but it pulls up a fraction short on the back palate pulling it back to the field. Fine spices wrap themselves around the fruit with the oak playing a neat supporting role. It's a lovely drink in its own right, but just a little more drive would do the trick.
89/100
Region: MudgeeRRP: $45
Source: Sample
Source: Sample
