Wine Pick of the Week: November 19, 2015

Clayhouse 2011 Malbec  (California)

This is another “crowd-pleasing” wine and not quite as dry as some of the Mendoza Malbecs I’ve tried. Red Cedar Vineyard, the estate, supplies all the grapes for the Clayhouse and Adobe labels. The farm is certified sustainable, and hosts 600 owl boxes for natural pest control.

For our tasting in the park, my friend noted that it both smelled and tasted “fruity” right off the bat. It’s very dark, purple, as is typical of Malbec. The nose is dark fruit with a very light touch of smoke.

Both of us got blackberry and other dark berries, and I detected a bit of leather. This isn’t a complex wine with layers, but it would pair with a mild pepperoni pizza—not too spicy. Something like beef stew or mild chili may also be a good pairing.

Next week, a Paso Cab with a story.