Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Macchia – Delicious Barbera 2023
Lodi, California – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Barbera may be native to Italy, but in Lodi it thrives in the warm days and cool nights, producing generous, fruit-driven wines. Macchia has built a reputation for crafting some of the most expressive New World Barberas, with a track record of winning international medals (including Gold at the International Barbera Competition in Italy for earlier vintages). This 2023 vintage keeps that pedigree alive with a vibrant, approachable style.

Aromas & Flavors
Explodes with blackberry, ripe plum, and dark cherry layered with chocolate, spice, and hints of licorice. There’s an intensity of fruit without losing freshness, showing why Barbera adapts so beautifully outside its homeland.

Mouthfeel
Juicy, full of energy, with supple tannins and balancing acidity. Medium-plus body with a long, fruit-forward finish dusted with cocoa and spice.

Food Pairing
Pairs effortlessly with rich tomato pasta, grilled lamb chops, or a hearty sausage pizza. Also excellent with strong cheeses that complement its ripe fruit core.

The Verdict
Macchia delivers again with a Barbera that’s as delicious as its name. The 2023 vintage stands out as a casual yet compelling New World take on an Old World classic—backed by a winery whose style already carries international pedigree.

✨ Personal highlight: This wine style has pedigree from past events, but the 2023 is very much its own statement. It’s “delicious” in every sense and shows how consistent Macchia has been across vintages. Cheers! — 9 months ago

Jerry Raphael

9.4

I usually bring at least one older wine to a favorite BYOB restaurant for NYE dinner. I selected this 33 year old cab and trying to open it the cork crumbled and some came out and some stayed it so decanted through a tea strainer into my take out bottle. I could tell just by the color this wine had promise. Poured about 2 hours later and the color was deep dark red to the edge. Not much on the nose but the taste had a lot of black fruits and a bit of spice and seemed like a young wine. The finish was long and smooth. It was still drink great as we finished the bottle about 2 hours later. Luckily I have another bottle and have to figure out when I’m going to open that one. At Anthony’s in HH — 2 years ago

Phil Kessling

9.0

New arrival in the shop but had to take a bottle home. Coravin the first night, it was closed and a little bitter on the finish. Pulled the cork the next night and it was a different wine. Tart fruit and great minerality, 14 ABV but didn’t drink hot. No RS. Gong to let the other bottles sit for a while. — 4 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.3

Had this a couple of weeks ago. We don’t have a lot of bordeaux in our cellar, mainly because it takes so many years for them to come into their own. Case in point is this 2003. While it was reasonably approachable when young, it’s now beautifully integrated. Will have to take a look at what else we have resting down there… — 5 years ago

with Vanessa

Ira Schwartz

9.1

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the disgorgement date but I know it is pre 2013. Aromas of baked apples , nuts and hints of oxidation. Robust acidity and complex flavors tease your tongue but somehow lacked the energy level I expect with this producer. Definitely more oxidative in the mouth then on the nose. — 6 years ago

Shaun Donovan

9.9

Delicious! — 6 years ago

Connor Smith

9.2

Sanlúcar de Barrameda was the port that Christopher Columbus set off from in 1492. Just 1 year earlier, duties on wine exports from Sanlúcar had been abolished to take advantage of English merchants desperate for new supply after the loss of Bordeaux.

It began a centuries-long romance between Sherry and English wine lovers, as immortalized in Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 2, when Falstaff glorifies sturdy Spanish 'sack' over thin Bordeaux 'claret' and Rhine 'hock'.

But the honeymoon, quite literally, was not to last. Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon drove a wedge between England and Catholic Europe, and left English wine lovers in need of a new source once again. But Sherry fanatics wouldn't have to go entirely without. When Sir Francis Drake sailed into Cádiz and burned the Spanish fleet in 1587, he carried away 2,900 butts of Sherry - enough to supply London for years - as his most famous prize.

(This is adapted from notes for Le Dû’s Wines ‘History of Wine 1453AD-Present’ seminar, where this wine was poured) — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.2

I’m a bubbles nerd, and even with that in mind, the color profile here was crazy! I brought this to accompany some TX brisket (dynamite pairing).

100% Pinot noir; 72hrs on the skins; 1g/l dosage; disgorged March ‘22; back label says (in French) to open 20mins in advance

At first pour it reminded me of some Lambrusco's I’ve had…deep red/purple! While there is a powerful core of fruit here, it is packaged nicely and not too extreme (though the color wants to take you there). Had a small pour right at pop to calibrate and then (impatiently) waited 20mins…slightly more expressive and the fruit came to the front (cran-raspberry, underripe blueberries) with herbal and floral notes at the finish. The limited dosage seemed appropriate as the texture was nice with good length and nothing was austere or bracing. Definitely has a “crunchy” profile. If poured in a black glass, rosé bubbles would be the call but you would never guess the color would be what it is. Fun. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented double-blind. The wine pours a deep, ruby color with a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with significant signs of sediment. Moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, dark fruits are predominant with some purple flowers, tobacco, subtle pyrazines and a touch of earth and baking spice. On the palate, the fruit set is confirmed. The wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. The finish is very long and savory. I believe a significant amount of new French oak is being used. Based on the aforementioned, possible varieties are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or some combination of Bordeaux varieties from either France or California. While the fruit is no-doubt abundant, there is hefty structure and a complexity that makes me lean towards the Old World. And now that my head is there, it’s very hard for me to get outside of Pomerol and I think the fruit is more of a result of the vintage. So I went with it, calling it 2009 Pomerol from a great producer. Welp…I was close and probably a huge compliment to Amuse Bouche since I think this wine is supposed to be their take on Pomerol. A very sexy wine that is drinking very well right now without a decant. — 4 years ago

Ed Tostanoski

9.4

Dark fruit, earth/iron/funk. Probably peaking or close to it, as the fruit is starting to take a back seat and I think this one needs the fruit to stay in balance — 5 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

A nice dark cherry red color with a wide brim. The nose opens up with some nice spice and green earth. Plenty of funk and fun on display here. Dense moss and forest woodland screams before the bright red fruits show up to play. The floral aromatics really set this one off.

45/30/25 of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah, this is a Central Coast take on Chateauneuf du Pape and baby, it works. It’s a gentle onslaught of goodness. Mounds and mounds of bright, fresh fruits come in waves. Wild strawberry, red cherry, and raspberry. A hint of dark chocolate with menthol and more greenery. It seems like people don’t know how good these are and that’s a crying shame. Beautiful wine and so hard to beat. — 5 years ago

David Koenen

9.3

Such a wonderful wine, with my wonderful big brother. Everything will be just fine. And more! Good things take time. Just as this gorgeous wine took its time to become what it is now. So darn good. — 6 years ago

Ben LaBolt

8.9

Lighter bodied Shiraz. — 6 years ago

with Leo

Aaron Tan

9.4

@Dominik SonaYou're the best! Walks off into the cellar, comes out carrying a massive bottle in a sleeve that could barely cover the label. I just love how ridiculous magnum riesling bottles look! I mean, we could see that it's a Koehler-Ruprecht for sure and the table shot straight to a warm vintage on the first sip (warm finish). Didn't take long for Franzi to identify the vintage and the rest of the pieces fell together subsequently (the body = spatlese, forget identifying the "R"). Guess making wines at the winery itself helps 😂

What to say about this wine? It's pretty intense, but the acidity and minerals kept it in check. Finely strung with pitch-perfect tension. This is the kind of wine that needs very little to push it over the edge into the hedonistic territory. Begs for time (like other 09's), as it's true elegance only revealed itself with air (bring on the crushed rocks and chamomile!). The nose is deep, with exotic fruit aromas, flint, toasted almond, florals, and that classic KR funk. Immense palate with lots of lychee and grapefruit, plus superb minerality with air. Creamy and long finish. Yes, the wine finishes a little warm and could be touch more focus, but it's a real class act for 09'! Power without weight, if you ask me. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.3

One of the bottles from my annual WWC hosting. I opened this as a side by side to a 2019 Saxum White as the makeup is fairly similar.

80% roussanne/ remaining a mix of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, piquepoul blanc, picardan and bourboulenc.

Nicely expressive at pop, it then faded and hid in a shell for a few hours before coming back at last glass. At 80% roussanne, I expected a more consistent expressive profile (honeyed tropical fruits, some orange) and for the acid to show a touch, but it was a roller coaster. More melon and light fruits vs bigger/more tropical. Medium bodied but not as rich as expected. It’s clean and shows some floral and mineral/stony nuances, but I’d spend the extra and take the Roussanne VV to get more complexity and flavor. — a year ago

Ira Schwartz

10

Wine stimulates our sense of smell and taste but in this case it also created a tidal wave of emotion. Through a tremendous act of generosity a dear friend shared this special bottle when he heard me lament I was not able to secure a bottle of wine to celebrate my mother’s 100 birthday. My friend stood the bottle up for several days. We decided it made sense to PnP. As you can see the cork was intact and the color of the wine defied its age. The excitement to take that first sniff was overwhelming for me. Old but alive scents wowed me. Lots of tobacco, leaves, leather and dried fruit. In the mouth those same scents were transferred to my palate thanks to a tsunami of acid. At about the one hour mark the wine quickly entered a death spiral. I cannot imagine another bottle of wine that will ever conjure up that amount of emotion and happiness. When I described my experience to my mom, a very broad smile came over her face. A blessing to share this experience with my mom and a privilege to taste a wine like this. — 2 years ago

with Richard

Brian Hearty

8.9

2011. Very interesting up or down reviews on this wine. Several mention funky notes, where I tasted none. Several noted high tannins, where maybe mine had mellowed. Body was a little thin and it did take over an hour to start opening up, but I paired it with some Indian takeout and it paired great! — 5 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

The 2014 Seavey Merlot is in the zone right now. Although a lot of Seavey offerings take time to develop, this Merlot can either be kept or consumed. But, after having this one I just don't know how much better this will get. It is balanced well between brambleberry and slightly underripe plum on the front, herbs and a hint of a nitrogen note in the middle. Acidity is good throughout. Well structured, this wine went well by itself and also went well with a chicken burrito. Finished darker than it started. I think this one is right where it needs to be right now. I think you could hold this for 5-7 years but really just is a nice drinker now. — 6 years ago

Dave Schneider

9.2

From a 375. I bought this one 15 years ago for $12 and I’ve been waiting to open it on a Tuesday night with some take out Chinese. I finally found the night! At first, it was very tight and backward. Huge tannins that I thought would never fade. I figured it was a 2003 that was off center And funky. After 30 minutes it was still tight but the black fruit rose out of the glass and the tannins faded revealing a beautiful claret that was a little hard around the edges but offered immense pleasure. Fun to find something that was laying around so long — 6 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.4

Continuing the 2011 extravaganza with this light Spatlese. That's right! I didn't get it wrong... It's a light Spat. Too powerful and sweet to be a kabi in my opinion, but as a Spat - Glorious! The tug and pull between sugar and acid is at a deadlock. Brilliantly balanced. The nose is spicy, herbal, floral, and very typical of Egon. The palate is crystalline. Like sucking on a piece of slate that was used to cut lime, then rubbed with mango and preserved lemons. To finish, take a bite of the juiciest peach, then lick some rock salt. The finale is long, smooth, and begs for you to take another swig. Gone in no time at all! — 7 years ago