Dear Friends and Valued Club Members,
We are proud to announce that our 2006 High Valley Barbera Reserve just received another prestigious honor by being awarded the Lake County’s People’s Choice Award for the best red wine in the alternative red category. I knew this wine was going to be exceptional when I was picking the grapes. A dear friend of mine, Clay Shannon, grows this fruit for us in a very special place in Lake County, called High Valley. The climate in this area is exceptional for Barbera because the grapes need a lot of hang time. In fact, we were the last bit of fruit on Clay’s ranch to be picked in 2006. I know it drives Clay crazy every year as he is worried about the rains coming and not being able to get to his fruit to pick it. In fact, he is always ribbing me about being the last one to pick. Clay has a very special piece of ground because the climate here has a lot less degree changes in a day than most other areas. In the afternoons when Lake County starts to really heat up, a nice breeze blows across the cool waters of Clear Lake right up the draw into High Valley. This breeze cools the fruit and allows the vines to continue its natural ripening process, but at a much slower rate than normal allowing the acid to drop in line and produce rich fruit flavors unlike most Barberas. If you enjoy the Italian varietals, I can assure you that it doesn’t get much better than this. My mom was Italian and this was one of her favorite varietals as it paired well with so many of her famous meat dishes. My mom used to say that patience was a virtue; I think this wine should prove this to Clay.
This wine is available on a first-come first-served basis as we only have 25 cases of this wine remaining, but don’t let that stop you from getting your order in now, you will not be sorry.
Please enjoy the wine and thank you so much for your continued support of Zina Hyde Cunningham Winery.
Cheers,
Steve