Barbera at the Gates

California’s fine-wine regions of Napa and Sonoma share a climate more like Italy than France, yet it is French wines that winemakers here have imitated in their quest for worldwide recognition.

The fact that they have achieved success with grapes such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon is more a testament to stick-to-it-iveness than grape greatness.

In fact, a more logical effort at making great wine might have begun with grapes of northern and central Italy, for it is there that the climate more resembles California’s north coast.

For instance, the Nebbiolo grape of Barolo, named for the fog of Piedmont ( nebbia ), appears suited to cool regions such as the Russian River Valley or Santa Barbara County. And the high-acid Barbera seems perfect for the warmer Napa Valley or Amador County.

California’s early winemakers, being primarily of Italian extraction, certainly knew of these grapes and planted them more than a century ago. But for various reasons, Cabernet, Zinfandel and Chardonnay became the stars of the fine-wine field.

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Since so few of the Cabernet makers would buy them, many of those original vines were torn out; those that remained were left to languish. The farmers themselves loved them, as they loved the rough country wines they made and quaffed, but rarely did the grapes command much attention.

Recently, however, little buds of interest in Italian grapes have begun popping up here and there in California. First came Sangiovese, the Tuscan grape that is at the heart of Chianti and Brunello. Starting in the late 1980s, Sangioveses from Atlas Peak Vineyards, Robert Pepi Winery, Seghesio Winery and Trentadue Winery intrigued adventuresome wine lovers.

Nebbiolo has done less well here. Though the Martin Bros. Winery of Paso Robles has made a number of noble attempts, their attractive wine isn’t much like Barolo; experimentation continues.

Now it’s Barbera’s turn in the spotlight.

Barbera (pronounced bar-BEAR-uh) long has done brilliantly here, though the grape isn’t very flashy. Most Barbera wines have had an earthy fruitiness and lots of tartness; in the past they were blended with other grapes to soften them and give them more flesh.

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The Louis Martini Winery has made Barbera as a varietal wine since the 1950s, but until the late 1970s, when the government required all wine to be at least 75% of the named grape, Martini Barbera was never more than 53% of Barbera.

I have an assorted case of 20-year-old and older Martini Barberas, and rarely have I been disappointed with a bottle. They age well in spite of the fact that they have less tannin and astringency than other red wines.

But don’t think there is anything soft about this wine when it’s young. Its naturally high acid still makes it a challenge to novice consumers.

However, its ability to yield wonderful color and flavor makes for a vibrant and enticingly lively wine when young, and one that ages well.

Its failure to get neon-lights treatment even holds true on its home turf, in Italy’s Piedmont, where it is clearly the runner-up to Nebbiolo. Barolo and Barbaresco are so highly praised that Barbera is seen as an amusing plaything, nothing serious; it’s clearly in need of a press agent.

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It might have had one in Giacomo Bologna, the brilliant eccentric who owned two of the finest hilltop vineyards of Barbera outside the small town of Rochetta Tanaro. A decade ago, Bologna pioneered a vineyard-named Barbera called Bricco dell’Uccellone that was boldly aged in new French oak barrels.

The wine has become highly sought after by Italian wine lovers and today sells for $50 a bottle.

Bologna was a dynamic man in his mid-40s, a winemaker with a passion for Barbera, who might have become the foremost spokesman for this underrated grape. Alas, he died of cancer two years ago and no one has come on the scene to take his place.

As for the U.S. version of Barbera, it’s flourishing in an underground market. Though there are no more than a dozen producers of varietal Barbera, and though there is only scant acreage of it in California’s north coast, a cult following is developing for it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s about time.

Not long ago I praised an exceptional 1993 Barbera of Pellegrini Bros. That got me to thinking once again about the grape of which I’m personally so fond, but which even I forget all too often.

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Of course, when you consider that Napa County has virtually no Barbera planted, that Sonoma County has maybe 50 acres of it, that Lake County has no more than a dozen acres, it is obvious that Barbera isn’t exactly poised to make a run at Chardonnay any time soon.

“I like it quite a lot,” says Kevin Hamel, winemaker for Preston Vineyards in Sonoma County’s cooler Dry Creek Valley, who makes a delightful, fragrant and lean-edged version. “I’d like to see it come back into popularity, but people think it’s a rugged and rustic wine, so that may hurt it.”

Hamel says the attractive things about Barbera for him are its racy cherry-like fruit, its low tannins, and “soft and fruity” texture.

Greg Graziano, whose grandfather, Vincenzo, was reared in Alba and pioneered Italian grape varieties in Mendocino County in 1910, agrees.

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Graziano has just released a stunning new 1993 Barbera under the brand name that he uses for his Italian grapes, Monte Volpe. At $9 the wine is an exceptional value, loaded with bright cherry fruit, a faint earthiness and a lot of textural treats in the tart but silky finish.

“Selling Barbera and Sangiovese is a double-edged sword,” said Graziano. “These grapes are popular in Italian restaurants, but a lot of these restaurants are owned by Italians, and these guys tend to be prejudiced (against the California versions). They want the Italian version.”

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California’s Barberas tend to be a bit fleshier than the Piedmontese versions, and often cheaper.

Four excellent Barberas that impressed me in a blind tasting last week:

* 1992 Sebastiani Vineyards “Sonoma Cask” ($14)--A bit pricey, but an excellent version of Barbera with smoke and jam notes in the aroma, a trace of violets, and a full, fleshy texture. Nice delicacy in the finish.

* 1992 Montevina ($9)--This Amador County winery, owned by Sutter Home Winery of the Napa Valley, has 72 acres of Barbera planted--by far the state’s single largest holding of the grape. This wine is marvelously structured with traces of earth and spice, clove, anise, coffee and spiced fruit, and depth of flavor on the tongue. Slightly more oak than it needs, but a splendid and handsomely made wine.

* 1992 Konrad Vineyards ($10)--Another Amador wine, similar to the Montevina with earth and spice components, but even bigger and richer--and oakier.

* 1992 Renwood Winery Barbera ($16)--About as expensive a Barbera as you’ll find in California, but this Amador County beauty is loaded with black cherry and spice fruit and has a luscious aftertaste. Proof that Mediterranean climates can’t harm the structure of this hearty Italian soul.