Barnett Vineyards flight of 4

 I got to try a nice 4-wine flight of the current lineup from Barnett Vineyards. 

2023 Sangiacomo Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay- aromas of fresh apple and pear tart. Poached fruit over a frame of baking spice and flaky pastry crust. Hints of briny sea air and white pepper. Faint suggestions of gardenia. It has nice texture without feeling weighty or unctuous, balanced by nice moderate acidity. Layered flavors of apple and pear fruit with some citrus peel accents and pie crust with nutmeg and vanilla. It's a CA Chard that lies nicely in the middle ground between minerality and butter with plenty of fruit character and nice, judicious use of oak and ML. 

2023 Tina Marie Vineyard, Green Valley of the Russian River Valley- The youth of this wine has it feeling super oaky upon opening and pouring. This will require a decant of an hour or more to let the strong oak influence on the nose die down. After a while, aromas emerged of pomegranate, boysenberries, black cherry and plum along with a dusty minerality and cocoa powder with leafy accents. On the palate, there is an interesting clay pot suggestion, with tart red fruits like cranberry and pomegranate along with currant and black cherry. There are also flavor accents of black tea, dried violets, slight clove and blueberry juice. It finishes with nice balancing acidity on flavors of kirsch. 

2022 Merlot Spring Mtn.- Nose of black cherry, red and black currant and a graphite/iron minerality over slight hints of cinnamon graham. It has nice texture from the entry, throughout. A good streak of acidity keeps it lively on the palate with red plum, cherries, blackberry and red and black currant. There are subtle notes of dark cocoa and vanilla with some stone minerality and a touch of bay leaf. It is velvety on the tongue without being heavy and lingers long with a pleasant fruit-driven aftertaste. 

2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (Spring Mtn)- On the nose, this Cabernet has a nice, focused varietal purity with loads of cassis and blackberry. There is a bit of barrel influence underpinning the fruit with hints of espresso, cocoa and cedar. It has nice verve even at 14.8% alc, and the fruit provides freshness throughout. There is balancing acidity to fine-grained tannins giving it nice grip while having a smooth texture. Lovely floral suggestions on the palate with flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry, boysenberry and black cherry. On the midpalate, suggestions emerge of dark chocolate mousse and damp earth with a roasty quality.