The Merlot in this blend adds to the nose and the Petit Verdot to the front palate. The Malbec sits in the back where you taste blackberries. The tannins tend to be softer than Malbecs from Argentina. Our Malbec pairs well with full-bodied dishes and chocolate.
Valley Oak Vineyard is at the mouth of a shallow canyon on Yulupa Creek as it enters Bennett Valley, a mountain valley appellation that is part of the greater Sonoma Valley appellation. Malbec, Merlot, and Pinot live there. It is cooler than Sonoma Valley, which helps retain the fruitiness of the Malbec.
Specs
Vintage: 2021
Varietals: 84% Malbec,10% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot
Appellation: Bennett Valley, Sonoma County
Vineyard: Valley Oak Vineyard
Alcohol: 13.4%
Residual Sugar: 0.5 g/L
Production: 250 cases
What’s Included
3-bottles:
3x 2021 Deerfield Ranch Winery Malbec, Valley Oak Vineyard
Case:
12x 2021 Deerfield Ranch Winery Malbec, Valley Oak Vineyard
PJ and Robert met at Berkeley in 1968. Robert, a backyard mechanic, kept PJ’s Italian sports cars running – takes an Italian to do that. As a thank you, PJ gave Robert, who was already interested in fine wine, a winemaking kit – seemed a good gift for a chemist grad. Robert made his first wine in his garage in Berkeley in 1972. He entered it in the California State Fair and took home the Best of Show Award. Robert found his passion and continued making wine in his garage, turned winery, for his family and friends.
Ten years later, PJ and Robert left their good jobs in the city to pursue their dream of owning a winery in the Sonoma Valley. In 1982, they bought the Deerfield Ranch in Glen Ellen where they got married, and turned the horse barn into their first winery. The Rexes still live there today, however, in 2000, they bought 47 acres on Highway 12 in Kenwood to expand the winery operation. The Deerfield Ranch Winery is still family owned and operated producing about 20,000 cases a year.
Our wines are barrel-aged in the 23,000 sq. ft. cave, also home to the tasting room open daily to the public. Winemaker Robert Rex was the pioneer of the cleanwine® movement and can often be seen at the winery. His philosophy is “Wine should be good and good for you.”
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
One of the favorite cycling routes here in Sonoma crosses Sonoma Mountain and stretches north through Bennett Valley up to Kenwood. It’s dotted with small, rolling vineyards and I often wondered about the wines that come from this scenic, and little known area - so this rattage is a double treat. The 2021 Deerfield Ranch Winery Malbec, Valley Oak Vineyard.
Quick take: True to the variety, with plum and dark cherry, well balanced with acidity and tannin. Will appeal to those that like an aroma profile that highlights herbal and secondary aromas on par with fruit. It’s a good one.
I Coravin’d the bottle using the aerator. Color was inky dark ruby leaning toward purple, opaque to the edges in the glass. The wine presented a medium high intensity aroma profile with compelling notes of dusty sage, cedar, and a slight tobacco, along with dark fruit that had aspects of plum and dark cherry. If you like that earthy quality in a wine, you’ll be pleased. After two hours in the glass, the savory notes receded a bit, but still led the way.
The entry was bright, with medium high acidity that enhanced the fruit profile on the palate, delivering a broad dark plum, dark cherry and ripe blueberry. I frankly expected a more fruit forward profile, but aside from the initial brightness, the fruit, which found a sweet spot between fresh and cooked, stayed in the mid-palate accompanied shortly thereafter by fine tannins that provided a solid structure. The wine is medium bodied with an approachable alcohol level. Upon tasting, some secondary sweet aromas like sweet tobacco or vanilla timidly joined in, and added nicely to a medium finish that echoed the pleasant subtle fruit flavors.
I don’t often drink Argentinian Malbec, but my recollection is that they are, in general, a bolder breed and somewhat more fruit forward than this wine. I also tasted the wine with a pumpkin, rosemary and sun dried tomato rigatoni. I added in roasted trumpet mushrooms with some cumin and ginger in the dressing to offer another set of flavors to test. I found the wine paired better with the roasted mushrooms, lacking the bigger fruit needed to balance the sweet aspects of the tomato and pumpkin in the pasta. In my opinion, this wine would be quite good with meat, uncluttered by heavy sauces.
The 2021 Deerfield Malbec is a well made wine that I would probably choose to accompany a meal. I tend to enjoy I a bit more fruit in a wine for sipping, but I could see the earthy, herbal and cedar notes in this wine appealing just on its own to lovers of that style. Hope this helps. Cheers!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2021 Deerfield Ranch Winery Malbec - $80 = 28.56%
This looks delicious and is a screaming deal at the case price. I don’t have room or money for 12, though. Anyone in SF or nearby Bay Area interested in a split? Ideally I’d prefer a 4/4/4 but could be convinced for a 6/6, depending on who might be interested. Thanks.
@dawnlac just received a case along with a few other cases and my cellar space is a tad low! Happy to split off some for you if you would like. Just lmk. I’m in south SRQ.
2021 Deerfield Malbec, Valley Oak Vineyard
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $696/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Feb 24 - Wednesday, Feb 26
2021 Deerfield Ranch Winery Malbec
3 bottles for $69.99 $23.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2021 Deerfield Ranch Winery Malbec
One of the favorite cycling routes here in Sonoma crosses Sonoma Mountain and stretches north through Bennett Valley up to Kenwood. It’s dotted with small, rolling vineyards and I often wondered about the wines that come from this scenic, and little known area - so this rattage is a double treat. The 2021 Deerfield Ranch Winery Malbec, Valley Oak Vineyard.
Quick take: True to the variety, with plum and dark cherry, well balanced with acidity and tannin. Will appeal to those that like an aroma profile that highlights herbal and secondary aromas on par with fruit. It’s a good one.
I Coravin’d the bottle using the aerator. Color was inky dark ruby leaning toward purple, opaque to the edges in the glass. The wine presented a medium high intensity aroma profile with compelling notes of dusty sage, cedar, and a slight tobacco, along with dark fruit that had aspects of plum and dark cherry. If you like that earthy quality in a wine, you’ll be pleased. After two hours in the glass, the savory notes receded a bit, but still led the way.
The entry was bright, with medium high acidity that enhanced the fruit profile on the palate, delivering a broad dark plum, dark cherry and ripe blueberry. I frankly expected a more fruit forward profile, but aside from the initial brightness, the fruit, which found a sweet spot between fresh and cooked, stayed in the mid-palate accompanied shortly thereafter by fine tannins that provided a solid structure. The wine is medium bodied with an approachable alcohol level. Upon tasting, some secondary sweet aromas like sweet tobacco or vanilla timidly joined in, and added nicely to a medium finish that echoed the pleasant subtle fruit flavors.
I don’t often drink Argentinian Malbec, but my recollection is that they are, in general, a bolder breed and somewhat more fruit forward than this wine. I also tasted the wine with a pumpkin, rosemary and sun dried tomato rigatoni. I added in roasted trumpet mushrooms with some cumin and ginger in the dressing to offer another set of flavors to test. I found the wine paired better with the roasted mushrooms, lacking the bigger fruit needed to balance the sweet aspects of the tomato and pumpkin in the pasta. In my opinion, this wine would be quite good with meat, uncluttered by heavy sauces.
The 2021 Deerfield Malbec is a well made wine that I would probably choose to accompany a meal. I tend to enjoy I a bit more fruit in a wine for sipping, but I could see the earthy, herbal and cedar notes in this wine appealing just on its own to lovers of that style. Hope this helps. Cheers!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2021 Deerfield Ranch Winery Malbec - $80 = 28.56%
This looks delicious and is a screaming deal at the case price. I don’t have room or money for 12, though. Anyone in SF or nearby Bay Area interested in a split? Ideally I’d prefer a 4/4/4 but could be convinced for a 6/6, depending on who might be interested. Thanks.
@davidj94112 Perfect, I bought the case earlier, if you haven’t, we can split. 8/4 if we don’t find another for 4/4/4.
@Tassadar Happy to take four off your hands if that’s OK with you. Just LMK when they arrive and we can figure out the exchange. Thanks.
@davidj94112 Sounds good, I live up the street from you so it will be easy.
@Tassadar Yes, I recall you live just over the hill
@davidj94112 @Tassadar I would be in for 4 if north Oakland is convenient.
@ctl I am not sure when I will be heading over to Oakland any time soon. Do you ever come this way?
@Tassadar Not often. But perhaps sometime in the next few months…
@ctl Ok, I can save them for you if you like!
Cleanwine? Is the farmed organically? Guess I can look it up.
@scott0210 Cleanwine =no hangover? ha!
@kaolis lol, there’s a whole page defining it but that is pretty must the gist of it.
Hello 'mates! Any further oak treatment info beyond “barrel-aged in the…cave”?
And, happy BerserkerDay 16!
@takethefarm Yes, much money has flown away already!
Come on over to this thread, we’re talking about what we bought.
2021 must have been an early harvest…according to the back label in cyclensip’s rattage this was bottled June 12, 2021…
Anyone near SRQ, FL want to split?
@dawnlac just received a case along with a few other cases and my cellar space is a tad low! Happy to split off some for you if you would like. Just lmk. I’m in south SRQ.