Review: Barbed Wire 2014 Red Wine Blend and Cabernet Sauvignon
Trinchero’s latest brand is Barbed Wire, a budget offering from California’s North Coast (a region that encompasses pretty much anywhere on the northern half of the state). Nonetheless, Barbed Wire is trying to push quality higher, despite the reasonable price tag. We tried two releases from the 2014 vintage.
2014 Barbed Wire Red Wine Blend North Coast – This is a blend of cabernet sauvignon from Alexander Valley and merlot from Napa Valley. A rather innocuous wine, this blend offers a dusty, fruit-restrained attack with notes that focus on leather, tar, and bushy brambles. The finish brings out some black and blue berries, but remains quite dry and short, fading away within seconds. B- / $11
2014 Barbed Wire Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast – This is a lackluster cabernet, flabby with an unctuous, mouth-coating character and dialed back when it comes to fruit. Over time some engaging blackberry notes come to the fore, plus a dusting of juicy currants, but it’s awfully late in the game, after a generalized, gooey sweetness and vague forest floor notes have already taken hold. C / $11
2014 Barbed Wire Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast
$11
About Post Author
At Barbed Wire, we like to think of ourselves as craftsmen building wines from the ground up. We believe that to make great wine, you ve got to get your hands dirty. You ve got to go out into the vineyards and learn what makes each region special. Take pride in your craft. By focusing on quality not quantity, we re able to make tremendously expressive wines wines that are true to their roots and to ours.