Layer Cake

After a late night of work when my mind was still alert from intense forecasting through midnight, I decided to enjoy a glass of wine to wind down the evening. "Layer Cake" stood out on my shelf with its prominant label featuring a layered cake smack on the front! It gave me the impression that this would be a warm and lusicous wine that would fit the moment.

As I poured the 100% Primitivo wine, I noticed a very inky black-purple red hue. It's aroma reminded me of dark chocolate infused with black currant.

Layer Cake represents the winemaker, Jayson Woodbridge's grandfather's philosophy, that "the soils in which the vines lived were a layer cake. If properly made, the wine from these vines was like a delicious cake layered with fruit, mocha and chocolate, with hints of spice and rich, always rich", as quoted on the bottle's label. Just like life! I thought. Layers that make it complex, yet it all comes together, a bit of spice, always changing, always rich.

Tasting notes

Layer Cake Primitivo, 2006

Supple blackcurrant and black cherry aromas layered into dark chocolate. A rich wine with hints of earth and finish of cayenne spice. Layers are distinct yet gracefully entwined.

About Primitivo

Can anyone say Zinfandel? Or Crljenak? Primitivo is grown in Manduria of Puglia, Italy, and was recently discovered to be the identical varietal to Zinfandel, and Crljenak Kastelanski (a Croatian grape) through DNA profiling by geneticist Dr. Carole Meredith of University of California, Davis. The breakthrough led the TTB to allow Primitivo and Zinfandel to be defined synonymous in April 2002. The soils of Manduria, Italy's "Heel", are of red clay and that of an ancient sea bed. Primitivo vines bathe in Puglia's warm and sunny climate that contributes to the origin of the grape's name for its early maturity. Vines are known for their vigor and resiliance to disease, allowing for vines over 100 years old!

Happy 2009!

New Year's Eve is a time when many reflect on the past year and embrace the new. For many around me, people are drinking to drown out 2008 and toasting for renewal in 2009. 2008 has undoubtedly been challenging. As I think back on the past 366 days, I realize that all the changes and curve balls thrown at me created new opportunities for growth and exploration, just as unpredictable weather and environment conditions make each wine unique. This element of mystery in life gives the same feeling as the moment we open a bottle of wine... the anticipation of great things, yet an uncertainty of how it will turn out.

One thing that's not a mystery, no matter what stage in life, what bottle I open, I am grateful for my loving family and friends around me. I am grateful to have grown with everyone through this past year, and I look forward to continue nurturing my relationships, and of course, sharing lots of wine!

The interesting thing about celebrating New Year's is that it almost doesn't matter what's in our glasses - with all the excitement of counting down the last seconds and buzzing activity for everyone to connect with those they care about, there's barely time to think! At Ozumo, we all counted down in unison, bubbly in hand. It was hard to see the label of the wine they served, but it was exquisite! The taste of more to come... fuller, richer, and with more depth!