Explore Oregon Wines: Wineries | Varietals | AVAs | Cellar 503 Selections
Rallison Cellars 2017 Malbec
“When Pigs Fly!”
Jared Rallison’s friends and family were utterly incredulous when they heard he wanted to be a winemaker. More than one said, “When pigs fly!” when he told them of his dream.
After all, he lived in Utah, had a full-time job as a pharmaceutical executive, and was the father of three young girls. When pigs fly, indeed. But dreams don’t die.
After trying to make wine in Utah, Jared and his family moved to Sherwood, Oregon, and found a place to plant some grapes. When he finished that first bottling, his family gave him a flying pig weathervane to put atop the winery built next to the Rallison family home.
And wouldn’t you know, just a few weeks before we first visited in November 2014, a huge windstorm came through – and the pig was ripped from the roof, took flight, and landed in the vineyard. When pigs fly, indeed!
We featured Jared’s wine in our very first month and it’s been so fun to watch him grow from just 800 cases to over 2000 today. And last year, he opened his very own tasting room in charming downtown Sherwood.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Rallison Cellars, Sherwood, Oregon
2017 Malbec
Malbec is one of those grapes that most wine drinkers know. After all, it’s one of the 20 most common wine varietals that produce over 50% of the wine in the world. But a lot of the Malbec that we drink comes from Argentina, by way of the second-from-the-bottom shelf at the grocery store. This is not that Malbec.
Grown in the Columbia Valley, this Rallison edition is fruit forward but not excessively jammy. Blackberry flavors dominate with a bit of spice. You’ll notice a hit of acid and nicely-integrated tannins that make this wine lively on the tongue. Malbec can often be produced with an aggressive oaking, but you won’t find those notes here, making it not nearly as heavy as an Argentinian Malbec.
As a medium-bodied wine, pair this wine with lean meats and herbs – like roast pork with sage and rosemary, or lamb with a mint sauce. It’ll also pair very nicely with creamy sauces and blue cheese.
A Cellar 503 selection in December 2018, Winter Warmers Columbia Valley | Malbec
