We recently received several samples from Clayhouse Wines (owned by Middleton Family Wines) and now I’m here to tell you a little bit about them. First, we tasted their Adobe label under which there is the Adobe White, Adobe Pink, and Adobe Red.
2012 Clayhouse Adobe White (36% Viognier, 34% Grenache Blanc, 24% Sauvignon Blanc, 6% Princess) $15.00
2013 Clayhouse Adobe Pink (45% Syrah, 37% Grenache, 18% Mourvedre) $15.00
2011 Clayhouse Adobe Red (23% Zinfandel, 22% Petite Sirah, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot, 4% Tempranillo, 3% Syrah) $15.00
These three wines are fantastic value wines in my opinion. The white and pink are absolute killer backyard pool party wines. As some say, chill it and kill it. The Adobe Red is another great value play and offers a solid, complex red wine that would pair well with many of the typical “red wine foods”. If you haven’t had them before I suggest you remedy that situation and pick a few up.
Before I go on you may be wondering what that 6% Princess is in the Adobe White, here’s a quote from someone that does some work with Clayhouse (Middleton Family Wines): “Princess is/was considered a table grape for a long time. It’s got a lot of Muscat kind of character, so a little bit goes a long way if you crush it for wine. The Middleton’s had to petition TTB to add it to the list of wine grape varieties. They could always use it in the blend, but unless TTB has a grape variety listed on the wine grape list (as opposed to table grape list), you can’t name it on the label.”
So there ya go…now to continue…
The next three Clayhouse Wines we tasted were:
2012 Clayhouse Cabernet Sauvignon (77%Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, 1% Merlot) $14.00
2012 Clayhouse Vineyard Malbec (95% Malbec, 5% Petite Sirah) $14.00-ish but not for sure
2012 Buried Cane Cabernet Sauvignon (80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot) $14.00
These wines, same as the first three, offer great value. The two Cabs peaked my interest but honestly, it’s hard to say no to Malbec. Any of these would be worth grabbing for the obvious reason, value…but I also think they’d be great if you are experimenting with these varieties. They offer solid flavor profiles and would pair nicely with food.
Until next time, Happy Cinco de Mayo and cheers!
I’ve enjoyed wines from Clayhouse, too. Agree, some good values. Sounds like a good visit!
Yes indeed, David. Their tasting room is right downtown on 13th Street in Paso Robles. Then of course you’d have to go eat at one of the great local restaurants. 🙂