2019 "Skid Row" Malbec
$40.00
No, our Skid Row Malbec has nothing to do with the 80s band from New Jersey—but it does rock pretty hard in the glass, as you’ll taste! Skid Row is actually the name of our Malbec vineyard, located all the way in the western corner of the Saracina property. It takes its name for the tracks carved into the surrounding hillsides in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by donkeys dragging logs down to the vineyards as fuel for hop barn funaces, used for beer production. Produced in very small quantities (just 167 cases!) and brimming with intense blue and black fruit with subtle cedary-spice thanks to aging in fine French oak barrels, Skid Row is a happy companion with any kind of barbecue.
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APPELLATIONMendocino County
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GRAPEMalbec
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VINEYARD SITESkid Row
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ABV14.5%
Planted in 1999, Skid Row Vineyard is the westernmost block at Saracina, marked by black clay and gravelly soils at the base of the foothills. The plant material is the original Bordeaux Clone 4. It is significant not for what it produces, but for what it doesn’t. It is the lowest-yielding commercial Malbec clone available, and on the property typical yields are one and a half tons per acre. It produces concentrated fruit without the need to pick at ultra-high sugars. The harvest of 2019 was another dream vintage, with adequate rains and a long and even growing season.
The grapes were harvested by hand on Sept. 27, de-stemmed, and gently fed into the fermenter with 50% whole berries. Native yeast fermentation began in earnest eight days later and was managed with two aerating pump-overs per day until dryness. The wine was drained directly into Taransaud barrels, 15% of which were new. Native malolactic fermentation was complete by early January. The wine rested on light lees for 19 months total and was bottled on July 21, 2021.
This lovely rendition of Malbec reveals black plum and blueberry fruits with a cedar note in the background. The palate is polished, with lush, rounded tannins and great depth of flavor. Pair it with a peppery soy balsamic marinated steak and portobello mushrooms, both on the grill. Perfect in any season.
