San Benito County has an excellent climate for this high-acid, deep-colored Old World Italian varietal. Its juicy bright cherry notes are combined with raspberry, clove, and ginger. With its pleasant mouthfeel, it’s perfect on its own or to enjoy with your favorite Italian meal.
Specs
Vintage: 2021
Varietal: Barbera
Appellation: Calleri Vineyard, San Benito County
Aging: 23 months in a mix of American Oak (25% new) and French oak (15% new) Harvest Date: 09/14/2021
Bottle Date: 8/11/2023
Alcohol: 12.9%
Case production: 99 cases
What’s Included
3-bottles:
3x 2021 Dog & Pony Barbera, San Benito County Case:
My name is Michael Simons, and what started as a love affair with wine has turned into a passion for producing small lots of very handcrafted wines from neighboring vineyards. Our tiny (1,800 cases) winery is named after Comanche, my horse when I was ten years old. He was an important part of a young life, and I use his name as a loving tribute to this old friend. These days, I ride a bicycle, and since this love affair with wine turned into a full-blown obsession, finding time for riding anything can be tough. But I still think of Comanche often and am proud that his name and shoes are on every bottle of my wine. Maybe those horseshoes will bring you some good luck!
Comanche Cellars is on California’s Monterey Peninsula, where we take advantage of the incredible wealth of vineyards that can be found in almost every direction. All throughout the Santa Lucia Highlands, Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley, and Santa Cruz Mountains AVA’s, there are winegrowers and winemakers producing incredibly beautiful wines that, we think, can and will rival the best the world has to offer. We’re happy to be in the sweet spot right now, as Wine Enthusiast recently named Monterey as one of the Top 5 winegrowing regions worldwide!
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Apologies for the formatting, I’m doing this from my phone and can’t find the coding interface.
Not a variety I’m familiar with, nor a winery I’ve tried before. Rich dark pomegranate color. Pop and pour has strong alcohol notes, almost smells like a shiraz or a malbec. Good tannin balance, with a fruitiness but not sweet. There’s a sharper note early on, but thankfully that toned down after ~30 minutes or so.
The fruitiness faded a bit for me as it got warmer, and the tannins came out a bit too strong for my tastes. Granted, I didn’t have optimal conditions (my building hasn’t turned the AC on yet, and it was 84 here today, so while it started out in the wine fridge for a couple hours, the chill didn’t last long). My roommate was less of a fan than I was for once, but he tends to like lighter reds these days like young French ones.
I’ve popped the leftover in the fridge and will report back tonight how it holds up since it was a bit of a last minute rat. Not something I think I’d go through a whole case on, but if I was at a party and saw it among the options, I’d happily drink it again, just as long as I could keep it on the cooler side while letting it breathe. (I might see if I can find my insulated wine cup until they turn the AC on Monday.)
Tried it again tonight. Tannins definitely opened up more once it aired, but the fruitiness came back more while it was chilled. Very nice balance between the two to my tastes.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2021 Dog & Pony Barbera - $68 = 29.82%
Good morning.
The wine arrived at my house yesterday afternoon so very little time to rest before we enjoyed it.
PnP – Color: bright burgundy almost but not quite translucent. Appears medium bodied. 12.9% abv on the label. Initial nose: fruity, black cherry, boysenberry, a very slight vegetal aroma in a good way, touch of cedar, hint of vanilla. Smells delicious. Palate: light to medium body, very mild tannins, medium acid, medium finish. This is wine is quite good. I’ll revisit in a couple hours.
2 hours later: Nose: Black cherry and raspberry, my wife is getting some floral notes, baking spices, light wood and a touch of vanilla. Palate: The tannins are more pronounced with air, The acidity is medium+, would be great with food. The wine is fruity but not fruit-bomby in any way. It reminds me somewhat of a Dolcetto, although with more body.
This is an easy drinking wine that has enough complexity and balance to keep it interesting for wine folks, but is also very approachable and would be a hit for anyone who likes a decent red.
I had a half open bottle of the Italian Bruno Giacosa Barbera (sold here a few months ago) and did a quick comparison. The Falleto is a bigger wine with much more tannic structure and more body, although with less pronounced fruit up front. I would say the Falleto is a bit more serious of a wine and the Dog & Pony is a more easy drinking, casual wine. Both are delicious. A really great deal at the case price, my blind guess was $15-17 casemates and $20-25 retail.
Hi, Michael the winemaker here! My style is to let the single varietal shine so this is 100% Barbera. I like to balance fruitiness with pleasing acids and tannins to create an old world style wine sourced from California’s central coast.
Hey Michael,
I was one of the tasters and really enjoyed the wine. Thanks! I think Italian varietals do really well in CA, as you often get more approachable fruit than they do in Italy, but the wines still maintain nice acidity for pairing with food.
What other varietals do you all grow and make into wine? Are Italian wines your focus?
Glad you enjoyed it. We source our grapes from nearby vineyards, often small family-owned property with lots of TLC. I make wine which represents many origin countries – for example, Spain: Tempranillo & Carignane; France: Negrette, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Trousseau, Grenache, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Chardonnay and Italy: Barbera, Sangiovese, Sagrantino (to name a few You’ll see them all on our webstore comanchecellars.com
2021 Dog & Pony Barbera, San Benito County
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$408.00/Case for 12x 2021 Dog & Pony Barbera, San Benito County at Comanche Cellars
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, May 20 - Tuesday, May 21
2021 Dog & Pony Barbera
3 bottles for $56.99 $19/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $159.99 $13.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Apologies for the formatting, I’m doing this from my phone and can’t find the coding interface.
Not a variety I’m familiar with, nor a winery I’ve tried before. Rich dark pomegranate color. Pop and pour has strong alcohol notes, almost smells like a shiraz or a malbec. Good tannin balance, with a fruitiness but not sweet. There’s a sharper note early on, but thankfully that toned down after ~30 minutes or so.
The fruitiness faded a bit for me as it got warmer, and the tannins came out a bit too strong for my tastes. Granted, I didn’t have optimal conditions (my building hasn’t turned the AC on yet, and it was 84 here today, so while it started out in the wine fridge for a couple hours, the chill didn’t last long). My roommate was less of a fan than I was for once, but he tends to like lighter reds these days like young French ones.
I’ve popped the leftover in the fridge and will report back tonight how it holds up since it was a bit of a last minute rat. Not something I think I’d go through a whole case on, but if I was at a party and saw it among the options, I’d happily drink it again, just as long as I could keep it on the cooler side while letting it breathe. (I might see if I can find my insulated wine cup until they turn the AC on Monday.)
Good price I think.
Thank you for the opportunity!
Tried it again tonight. Tannins definitely opened up more once it aired, but the fruitiness came back more while it was chilled. Very nice balance between the two to my tastes.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2021 Dog & Pony Barbera - $68 = 29.82%
@Mark_L “this offer has an above average full case discount”. Alternatively, it has an above average partial case penalty.
Good morning.
The wine arrived at my house yesterday afternoon so very little time to rest before we enjoyed it.
PnP –
Color: bright burgundy almost but not quite translucent. Appears medium bodied. 12.9% abv on the label.
Initial nose: fruity, black cherry, boysenberry, a very slight vegetal aroma in a good way, touch of cedar, hint of vanilla. Smells delicious.
Palate: light to medium body, very mild tannins, medium acid, medium finish. This is wine is quite good. I’ll revisit in a couple hours.
2 hours later:
Nose: Black cherry and raspberry, my wife is getting some floral notes, baking spices, light wood and a touch of vanilla.
Palate: The tannins are more pronounced with air, The acidity is medium+, would be great with food. The wine is fruity but not fruit-bomby in any way. It reminds me somewhat of a Dolcetto, although with more body.
This is an easy drinking wine that has enough complexity and balance to keep it interesting for wine folks, but is also very approachable and would be a hit for anyone who likes a decent red.
I had a half open bottle of the Italian Bruno Giacosa Barbera (sold here a few months ago) and did a quick comparison. The Falleto is a bigger wine with much more tannic structure and more body, although with less pronounced fruit up front. I would say the Falleto is a bit more serious of a wine and the Dog & Pony is a more easy drinking, casual wine. Both are delicious. A really great deal at the case price, my blind guess was $15-17 casemates and $20-25 retail.
Hi, Michael the winemaker here! My style is to let the single varietal shine so this is 100% Barbera. I like to balance fruitiness with pleasing acids and tannins to create an old world style wine sourced from California’s central coast.
…and this particular wine was aged in both French and American oak barrels for a unique profile.
Hey Michael,
I was one of the tasters and really enjoyed the wine. Thanks! I think Italian varietals do really well in CA, as you often get more approachable fruit than they do in Italy, but the wines still maintain nice acidity for pairing with food.
What other varietals do you all grow and make into wine? Are Italian wines your focus?
Glad you enjoyed it. We source our grapes from nearby vineyards, often small family-owned property with lots of TLC. I make wine which represents many origin countries – for example, Spain: Tempranillo & Carignane; France: Negrette, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Trousseau, Grenache, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Chardonnay and Italy: Barbera, Sangiovese, Sagrantino (to name a few
You’ll see them all on our webstore comanchecellars.com