BLACK SEARS · HOWELL MOUNTAIN

2022 Bordeaux Blend

$160.00

Unit price: per

The 2022 Barbarous is the first Bordeaux field blend Black Sears has produced — 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot, grown on a single block of volcanic kaolinite clay soil at 2,400 feet on Howell Mountain. The soil sits above a visible striation of ash from a volcanic event thousands of years ago. Thomas Rivers Brown made it. This is what happens when you plant five acres of new vines on some of the most interesting dirt in the region and leave nature mostly in charge.

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Tasting Notes

The 2022 Barbarous opens with dark fruit — blackberry, plum, a thread of dried herbs from the Cab Franc. The volcanic soils show up as minerality and iron on the mid-palate, the Merlot softening the structure without blurring it. Tannins are present and purposeful. The finish is long, earthy, and specific to this place. Approachable now. Better in two years.

Pairing

Something that can hold its own. Braised short rib. Lamb with herbs. A hard aged cheese and whatever argument you've been avoiding. This wine doesn't need a delicate pairing — it needs a table with people around it.

Specs

Vintage: 2022
Varietal: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot
Appellation: Howell Mountain AVA, Napa Valley
Vineyard block: Black Sears Estate
Elevation: 2,400 feet
Winemaker: Thomas Rivers Brown
Harvest date: September 28, 2022
Bottling date: July 2024
Farming: Organic/Biodynamic (totally uncertified)
Aging: 20 months French Oak, 1/2 new, 1/2 year-old
ABV: 14.4%
Acidity: 6.1 g/L
pH: 3.72
Drinking window: 2024–2032

Image of lion and bear statues at Black Sears estate

Why Barbarous?

In researching names for our red blend, we learned that Napa Valley tradition calls for something that sounds like you last heard it studying for the SATs, a mangled Latin phrase, or something like "the Prisoner" — or apparently, a Star Wars droid.

We wanted something that didn't take itself too seriously but also slayed. So we fasted for six days in the vineyard waiting for the vines to reveal the name. Unfortunately, "Josh" was already taken.

We opened a dictionary and pointed: Barbarous.
Given the wildfires, the rattlesnakes, the mountain lions, the black bears, the scorpions, the black widows, the yellowjackets, the deadly newts — and the three vintages we've lost to the callous, amoral savagery of nature — it felt appropriate. And "Barbe Rousse" means red beard in French, so Chris thinks the whole thing is kismet.

As for the bear and the lion — they're the neighbors. Our property is 5% vineyard and 95% wilderness, contiguous with the Napa Land Trust preserve. They appear often on the trail cameras. They are always welcome.

Barbarous is a wine for your wild side.

2022 Bordeaux Blend

Why Barbarous?

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