The Trend Report: Cult Hero/Jayson Woodbridge

With so much information about the Layer Cake Wines on our blog, we are always looking for articles, press, reviews and information from others on what makes Layer Cake Wines truly a special wine. The one common denominator in the entire equation is winemaker and owner, Jayson Woodbridge.

I’ve written about him before, but, Christopher Campbell of Destinations magazine captured Jayson in his November 2008 article called Cult Hero. Big thanks to Christopher,

The Trend Report: Cult Hero | Jayson Woodbridge
© Ericka McConnell

With close-to-perfect Robert Parker ratings and up to a five-year waiting list for his Hundred Acre vintages, the maverick vintner of Napa Valley believes good wine is a birthright.

By Christopher Campbell

Second Calling
“When I was young I was a soldier in the army…not much wine, just good hard work. Then I was an investment banker, and I hunted down and drank some of the greatest wines in the world. One day I walked into a vineyard and had an epiphany. I was destined to become a winemaker.”

The Good Stuff
“My Hundred Acre wines go for $250 for a bottle of Cab to $500 for a single-vineyard port, and I spend most of my time apologizing to people for not having any left for them to buy. They sell out the second we release them. All four Hundred Acre offerings are rare in that each is made from one vineyard only. They are a pure expression of that vineyard in that year and place in time. The French call it terroir. Three of my vineyards are in Napa Valley and my fourth, Ancient Way, is in the legendary Barossa Valley of South Australia; it’s monolithic.…Winston Churchill would have loved it.”

Special Forces
“Layer Cake is what we drink every day. It’s about $15 a bottle. I decided to take my team from Hundred Acre and go make wine in some of the greatest places on earth. It’s really the people’s passport to my favorite wine regions of the world—Malbec from Argentina, Zinfandel (Primitivo) from Italy’s Puglia, Shiraz from South Australia, Syrah from Côtes du Rhône, and Napa Valley Cabernet. The mission was simply to shock people about how good wine could be at those price points.”

Family Wisdom
“The name Layer Cake comes from my grandparents, who taught me that everything in life is about layers and complexity. As a little boy, I could relate to that. Still do.” Behind Closed Doors

“The vineyard is off-limits to tours because, well, most of the time we are sold out. If I opened up for visitors, I would have to shut the place down and become a guide—not happening. The wine comes first.”

Hundred Acre and Layer Cake wines are sold on vintagepoint.com. To get on the waiting list for Hundred Acre wines, go to hundredacre.com.

Layer Cake Malbec receives 91pts from Robert Parker

Layer Cake Malbec 91pts

Layer Cake Wines are about a culture to us; we travel the globe to make wine for the people and their tables. Layer Cake Wines are a lifestyle component and a project that is near and dear to my heart. The idea that a family, much like my own can sit down and enjoy a great meal every night of the week is a great reward, yet, when Robert Parker, Wine Advocate offers a great rating, we know we are doing everything right.

2008 Layer Cake Wines Malbec, Mendoza Argentina
“Dense, with notes of blackberry, earth and roasted meats. Add a hint of barbecue spice, this wine exhibits great fruit, delicious full bodied texture, silky tannins and a long finish. “It does taste more like a $30-$50 bottle of Malbec than one that can be purchased for $15″

91pts Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
1/06/10

These wines take the cake: Jim Rawe, The Sun Herald

Layer Cake Wines are 100 Percent Pure

Layer Cake Wines would like to thank Jim Rawe for his write up of Layer Cake Wines for the SunHerald online.

“In vino veratis” is a well-traveled Latin saying that translates to “in wine there is truth.” This phrase originated during Roman times because public officials believed that if they drank wine during meetings it would be easier to discern if someone was untruthful. Today I would say that the truth can usually be found in the bottle.

Layer Cake makes several wines that taste quite nicely, but it is hard to guess the price.

Layer Cake Wines are unique for several reasons, least of which is that they are produced in four of the top wine-growing regions in the world: Napa Valley, Calif.; McLaren Vale, Australia; Mendoza, Argentina; and Puglia, Italy. Layer Cake’s founder and winemaker, Jayson Woodbridge, named the wines from something his grandfather used to tell him: “The wine, if properly made, was like a great layer cake, fruit, mocha, chocolate, and hints of spice — and rich, always rich.”

Layer Cake wines are also unique in that each of the different wines is produced using 100 percent of the same type of grape. The idea behind Layer Cake was to produce wines that tasted like they were in the $60 range, but retail between $15 and $25 a bottle.

The 2008 Layer Cake Shiraz looks very deep and dark in color, with a nice aroma of plum. This powerful Shiraz contains a lot of black fruit, and I could taste a significant amount of cherry, all the way to a smooth finish. This wine is produced in the McLaren Vale region of South Australia, an area renowned for Shiraz.

Jayson Woodbridge, winemaker, Layer Cake Primitivo aka Zinfandel

The 2007 Layer Cake Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon contains aromas of black currant, and tasted quite creamy and soft with flavors of dark fruit and mocha. Although I didn’t taste this wine with food, it was obvious that it would be excellent alongside a grilled steak. This Cabernet is priced at the upper end of the range.

The 2007 Layer Cake Primitivo that hails from Italy required some time to open up, but once it did, it tasted of ripe plums and white pepper. These flavors should not come as much of a surprise, as the Primitivo grape is identical to the Zinfandel.

I thought the 2007 Layer Cake Malbec proved to be elegant, with copious flavors of black fruits and a long, spicy finish.

This is a wine that would complement just about any roasted meats. The grapes used to make this wine were grown in Mendoza, Argentina — an area that produces some of the best Malbec anywhere in the world.

In closing out the year, I offer a toast using words attributed to John Wayne: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. “It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” Salut!!

Jim Rawe, a family attorney in Bradenton, Fla., is an avid collector of fine wines. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at jimrawe@gmail.com.