Being as into wine as I am, I get into a lot of conversations about wine and I’ve noticed that there are a few names that come up time and time again. One of those names is Layer Cake, and that’s particularly related to their Shiraz. I meet people everywhere who are nuts about Layer Cake Shiraz. And ironically, I have yet to taste it.
In addition to Shiraz, Layer Cake also produce Cabernet, Primitivo, Cotes du Rhone, and Malbec, all from different regions of the world. Jayson Woodbridge is the force behind Layer Cake. He’s also the owner of Hundred Acre wines, a high-end wine label based in Napa that sells wines starting at about $250 a bottle (that’s not a typo). Layer Cake is much more affordable at $15 a bottle, and it’s still good wine. It’s actually produced by same team that makes the Hundred Acre wines.
Each Layer Cake wine is grown, made, bottled and labeled in its country of origin before being shipped to the US. So, this Malbec was produced in the Mendoza region of Argentina, just like every other Malbec I’ve reviewed.
One of the things I look for in a wine is intensity in the aromas. I would say that this Malbec has moderate intensity. While I’d like it to have a touch more intensity, it’s still interesting. It has a bit of a spicy nose, with black pepper, cedar and soy sauce. The fruit is there too, mostly cherry, but it’s not very powerful. However, the fruit comes to life on the palate, where it is downright jammy! Heavy cherry and blackberry flavors coat your tongue and stay there for a long, syrupy finish. At 14.9% ABV, the Layer Cake Malbec has the highest alcohol level of any of those we tasted for this series. It also may be the jammiest, so if jammy is your thing you’ll want to check this one out.
Wine: Layer Cake
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14.9%
Rating: 85
Price: $15.00
Find Layer Cake Malbec with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample. Another Irrelevant Disclosure: Long John Silvers is a guilty pleasure of mine.
I would rather two bottles of Gascon than one and a half of Layer Cake but Layer Cake is good.
Hi Lloyd. I can tell you’re all about the QPR. I get where you’re coming from.
Yuck…Gascon can’t hold a candle to my Layer Cake! YUMMMMMY! LOVE THE LAYER CAKE!
Tried the Gascon and Elayne I think you are wrong, it can definitely hold a candle…on your table and create a nice ambiance while you’re sipping Layer Cake. Layer Cake was my first exposure to Malbec and I just love it.
Well played, Tony. I’m glad to hear you like the Layer Cake malbec.
I really would like Layer Cake’s Malbec at ANY price. (We can’t believe it’s only $15. )
Layer Cake is smart to make its’ wines in the areas known for growing those grapes, (i.e. Shiraz in Australia, Primitivo in Italy, Cabernet Sauvingnon in California, etc). Layer Cake doesn’t try to force a grape to grow where it doesn’t belong. Argentina is home to the world’s greatest Malbecs.
Malbecs often come on strong & bold, and this one certainly does have its’ presence. But it’s a medium bodied wine. You can taste the flavor’s complexity without being distracted by the alcohol content, which is only 14.2%. (That’s not high for a Malbec). It’s a smooth wine & that’s its’ strongest suit in my opinion. From start (attack) to finish, it’s velvety and smooth in texture and coats your tongue beautifully, like cream.
Maybe b/c it’s aged in steel for most of the time, (only 20% of its’ time is aged in oak), it has more fruitiness & the clarity of its’ flavor isn’t overwhelmed by the dry, puckering oak. The tannins are much gentler than most Malbecs. Layer Cake’s Malbec is an easy drinking wine, which is a bit unusual for that wine.
As has been described, it also has the well known “jamminess” to it. That’s the fruit, the berries and a hint of chocolate, all “smoked” together to make it so flavorful.
It really is fruit forward, it coats your tongue and the attack is gentle but persistent, just like the finish. (This deserves WAY more than an 85 rating). I truly enjoy this wine and it’s a “buy me, AGAIN!!” wine for sure. I’d give it an 89 or even a 90.
Jeannine,
Thanks for your thorough review. That is awesome! It sounds like you have a great palate. Perhaps you should write some reviews for us… seriously!!
The review we have posted here is a couple years old, so I assume you’re tasting a more current vintage. And perhaps a better vintage. Regardless, I sincerely appreciate your feedback.
Cheers!