Armour Wines 'Carbo Barbo' Carbonic Barbera 2022

The vibe: This is the juicy, chillable, Washington-grown wine you’ve been looking for! We’re so excited to share it with you this month. You’ve probably heard our complaints about the state of natural Washington wines (practically nonexistent). Land isn’t cheap here, a lot of it is claimed by large estates with generational wealth, and it’s not a super friendly industry to scrappy upstarts. Those that can secure land face challenges with forever chemicals after years of pesticide and herbicide use, and this makes obtaining Organic certification difficult if not impossible, never mind biodynamic farming. So it’s incredible when a winery like Armour enters the scene with not only classically tasty Syrahs and incredible Gamays, but freakin’ fruit-gushers porch pounders like this. Made with one of our very favorite grapes, Barbera (swoon) this bottle is packed with rich aromas of blackberry syrup, cocoa powder, and fresh herbs. It’s juicy, with ripe blueberry and Luxardo cherry notes as you’d expect from a Barbera and finishes with a slight fizz on the tongue. Carbo Barbo is an instant classic and we’re so happy it’s here!  

The winemaker: Tyler and Sarah Armour produce lo-fi wines in the Wenatchee Valley. They source grapes from select vineyards around Washington State, processing grapes mostly whole-cluster, utilizing natural yeast, and aging the wine in neutral oak barrels.  The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered with little-to-no sulfur added and strive to make fresh and vibrant wines. They are new to the Seattle market, and have been making wine since 2020.

The geeky details: 100% Barbera, whole cluster 2 week carbonic maceration, basket press, 6 months in neutral French Oak.

Serve: With a slight chill.

Food pairing: I want to pair this like a Lambrusco. A charcuterie spread would be right at home next to this bottle. Pizza, barbeque and light grilled foods would also go great with this.

Album pairing: High Hoops – Seasons on Planet Earth