90Points

“Charlie Barra died at the age of 92 in June 2019, and this was his last vintage. Having grown grapes at his Redwood Valley estate since 1955, he proudly touted his organic farming, certified since the 1990s, practiced since the beginning. He described his vineyard site as the benchlands of the headwaters of the Russian River and started bottling his own estate wines in 1997. Randy Meyer made this 2018 for Barra, a cabernet with a youthful, bright purple color that seems to carry through to the bright and luscious purple fruit. The tannins are herbal and dry—for one taster, they brought to mind sumac—but there’s plenty of sweet fruit to last through them and accompany fajitas, a sirloin burger or filet mignon. This is a terrific glass of wine to raise in Barra’s memory. ‘Year’s Best Cabernet’”