Layer Cake Garnacha 2011
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Wong
Wilfred
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2011 Layer Cake Garnacha is tantalizing and fulfilling, from the first whiff to the finish, the wine truly delivers. Medium ruby color; ripe and very grapey, aromatic, yes super ripe and bold in style; medium to full bodied, slightly rounded on the palate; medium finish, smooth in the aftertaste. Drinking well now.
Layer Cake works directly with the farmers that grow their grapes to exacting standards in some of the most diversely-layered vineyards around the world. They are handpicked, separated and fermented with care, then aged in French Oak. The character of each Layer Cake wine is influenced by the vineyard soil, which is layered like a cake…every layer tells a story.
It all started in South Australia, when they met a few growers, swapped stories over a few pints, then went to walk around some vineyards. The goal became to make great wine from these vineyards, and with diligence, sell the wines at a price that would over-deliver compared to the offerings on the retail shelves, so we were off to the races.
During a visit to Puglia to investigate the flavors behind Carole Meredith’s recent studies showing that Primitivo is indeed identical to Zinfandel, we discovered the largest cache of old-vine Zinfandel grapes in the world, which borthed the Layer Cake Primitivo. Argentina is now known as the best place on the planet to grow Malbec, hands down. Upon meeting numerous fantastic family growers to work with, the Layer Cake Malbec was born.
The newest stamp on the Layer Cake passport is the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Sourced from vineyards in one of the greatest regions of the world for growing Sauv Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, has soil that brings a beautiful flinty brightness to this complex wine.
Layer Cake came back to their homeland, Napa, next and decided it was time to seek out some special vineyards here as well. Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were naturals to make here, as we have many friends with excellent vineyards to nurture and turn into Layer Cake Wines.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.