2023 Wood Family Vineyard Malbec and Santa Maria Tri-tip – A Perfect Combination
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
Malbec wine is a full bodied and deep purple wine that originated in France and now is mostly associated with Argentina. The distinct characteristic is the taste and the balance between fruit and acidity. While in 2024 California crushed significantly less grapes than the previous year, the tonnage of Malbec was essentially the same percentage, 2023 being 1.71% and 2024 being 1.67% of red wine grapes. Interestingly, the average price per ton increased from $1,332/ton to $1,483/ton by 11%.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine on the eyes is medium-heavy viscosity, a deep royal purple and magenta coloration with an inky characteristic. On the nose blackberries and dark red plums are the leaders rushing in to claim dominance in the olfactory senses. Also, the presence of violets and roses were noted.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
On the palate almost empowering black and dark red fruits (blackberries and plums) with a tinge of red ripe raspberries were dominant flavors. Secondary flavors of oak and cherry cola rounded out the tasting experience with a tinge of smokiness. The finish provided strong acidity along with bold and strong tannins but completed each sip with a juicy mouth filling and velvety finish.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Alcohol is 13.7 % and last year at the winery for the 2022 it was $42/bottle. At the time of writing, I did not have the 2023 pricing. The wine is produced from their estate vineyard. Barrel treatment was 25% new French oak and aged for 17 months. The 2023 vintage will be released mid-May 2025. The Wood Family Vineyards Malbec has been on my list of Best Wines Tasted yearly for the last four years and will continue to be in 2025.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with a Santa Maria Tri-tip BBQ’ed steak. Since this story goes out to a wide-ranging audience, I wanted to define what a Santa Maria Tri-tip is. The tri-tip gets its name from its distinctive triangular shape. The cut is typically lean and tender making it a delicious meat to barbeque. This signature cut emerged in the Santa Maria Valley of California. Legend has it that Bob Schultz, the owner of Santa Maria Market, first introduced it to locals in the 1950’s. It had been a cut used only for ground beef or stew meat. This cut was prepared (marinated) by the local meat market so the exact ingredients are not known. Typically, Santa Maria Tri-tip marinade may have soy sauce, honey, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, paprika, onion powder, rosemary and even cayenne pepper.
Slow cooked on the barbeque without direct heat to provide a juicy cut of meat and served medium rare. Accompanied by sauteed Brussel sprouts with bacon and risotto with button mushrooms and bacon. The spices and richness of the meat made a beautiful combination with the Malbec varietal encompassing each bite with fruit. An excellent food and wine pairing.
The Winery
Photo from Wood Family Vineyards
Wood Family Vineyards, located in eastern Livermore Valley, with Rhonda Wood owner & winemaker, has been producing award winning wines for over two decades. You can read more on her background from airline pilot to award winning winemaker at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2016/02/10/wood-family-vineyards-2/
and
Her awards are extensive and too numerous to list here in this article.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly