Saracina Skid Row Vineyard Malbec Mendocino County 2018 (750ml)

 

Rated 91 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

Deep and generous black-cherry flavors are wrapped in silky tannins in this nicely concentrated and polished wine.  It boasts a soothing mouthfeel, with touches of clove and cardamom that add to its appeal.

 

Rated 90 Points by Jeb Dunnuck

 

The 2018 Malbec Skid Row is relatively open knit and ready to go, with a savory style in its red and black fruits, dried herbs, and peppery aromas and flavors.  As with all the wines here, it’s balanced and impeccably made.

 

Saracina Skid Row Vineyard Malbec

 

Mendocino County 2018

 

Winemaker:  Alex MacGregor

 

Appellation:  Mendocino County

 

Tasting Notes

 

Deep garnet color.  The nose reveals enticing blueberry, sandalwood and cedar notes.  The palate is layered and savory, with approachable soft tannins and great length.  This is an incredibly versatile wine at the table.  Pair it with grilled flank steak, classic turkey, or a hearty roast in winter.

 

Alcohol:  14.2%

 

Winemaking & Ageing

 

The grapes were harvested and destemmed on September 24, 2018, and gently fed into the fermenter with 40% whole berries.  Native yeast fermentation began in closed top fermenters.  The free-run wine was drained directly to thin-stave French oak barrels, 10% of which were new.  Native malolactic fermentation followed with 19 months aging.  The wine was bottled on July 30, 2020.

 

Mendocino County

 

Where rugged beauty, respect for the land and innate curiosity give rise to wines that are distinctly Mendocino County.  Gravelly loam clay soils lend a distinct earthiness to our Malbec where red and black fruit mingle against a subtle backdrop of the finest French oak.

 

Terroir & Vintage Notes

 

Planted in 1999, Skid Row Vineyard is the westernmost block on the Saracina Ranch, 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 vineyard was named “Skid Row” for the tracks carved into the surrounding hillsides in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by donkeys dragging logs down to the vineyard site, where they were collected to fire the furnaces for hop barns in the course of making beer.

 

 

Saracina Vineyards

 

Saracina is located along the Upper Russian River in northern California’s wine country.  The 400-acre ranch which includes a winery and sustainably farmed vineyards, is also home to 140-year-old olive trees, vegetable gardens, beehives, and local birds and wildlife.  The handcrafted, limited production Saracina wines reflect a conscious sense of this beautiful place in Mendocino County.

 

Founded by husband and wife team John Fetzer and Patty Rock in 2001, Saracina has always been defined by a strong sense of family.  In 2018, Marc Taub took on stewardship of Saracina, upholding the spirit of family ownership that has defined this iconic Mendocino County winery since inception.

 

 

Rated 91 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

Deep and generous black-cherry flavors are wrapped in silky tannins in this nicely concentrated and polished wine.  It boasts a soothing mouthfeel, with touches of clove and cardamom that add to its appeal.