Cline Cellars’ Reliably Delicious Wines

Ask me what wineries produce portfolios that are all reliably terrific and Cline Cellars immediately comes to mind.  And after a couple visits to their tasting room, I can also attest that it is among the friendliest in Sonoma.

Cline Cellars was founded by Fred Cline, grandson of Valeriano Jacuzzi, inventor of the Jacuzzi tub (Cline also owns Jacuzzi Vineyards).  However, the Jacuzzi family also grew vines on a farm in Oakley–located in Costra County, California–where Fred Cline spent his summers learning about farming. Planted as far back as the 1800s, these vines include two Rhone grapes: Mourvèdre and Carignane as well as Zinfandel. After inheriting these ancient vineyards, Fred Cline launched Cline Cellars, which now makes wines from the vines at the Oakley vineyard, some of which are more than 100 years old.  Low yielding, these plants produce rich and intensely flavored wines.

In the early 1990s, Cline eventually moved with is wife Nancy to the Carneros region of Sonoma County where they planted more Rhone varietals—Syrah, Mourvèdre, Roussanne—which were not commonly planted in that relatively cooler region. But Cline Cellars has produced some amazingly good results, proving that the area was good for a wider range of varietals than Pinot Noir and other cool climate grapes common in Carneros.  Cline also owns vineyard land in nearby Petaluma.

Cline Cellars is now counted among a host of wineries that make Rhone-styled wines in America that are collectively called “The Rhone Rangers.” Several Rhone Rangers are coming to D.C. for an event on June 10 for wine trade and  press.  However, they are offering  a select-number of tickets for the public; book your space ASAP before they run out!. See the Weekly Wine Pick Event Calendar for more information.

You don’t have to attend this event to find great Cline wines. I enjoy the full spectrum of their portfolio and would recommend any of them.  However, below I list a few favorites.

Big Break Zinfandel.  Aged 11 months in French oak, this is an incredibly rich and well-balanced Zinfandel from very old vines grown in the Big Break vineyard of Oakley.  The land is also near a Eucalyptus grove, which somehow imparts Eucalyptus mint flavors into the wine.  Although a very big wine with intense flavor, it is still soft and approachable; and it can last up to 7 years in the cellar.  The Wine Spectator gives it 89 points, but I think it should be at least a 90!  This wine is so good that it’s worth paying the shipping if you can’t find it locally.  I recently discovered it on Wine.com for about $27 per bottle.  Wine.com is a good mail order business if you like to shop regularly online because you can pay an annual shipping rate of $49 to cover all shipping costs for an entire year.

Cline Cashmere.  I recently discovered this one at Whole Foods for about $16 a bottle.  The name for this Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah blend is on the mark as its most immediately notable quality is an unusually silky and soft texture on the palate.  That is followed by delicate fruit flavors.  The winemaker notes describe it very well:  “Cashmere is a very flavorful smooth wine offering big cherry, raspberry and chocolate notes with hints of cracked black pepper and plum.”

Cline Cellars Zinfandel.  Cline’s value priced Zinfandel deserves much praise because it delivers big at a value price of about $10 a bottle.  Look for the 2008 vintage in particular, which is probably on the shelves now.  This wine is a blend of grapes from Cline’s Oakley vineyard as well as grapes from Sonoma and other parts of California including Lodi (69 percent of the 2008 blend).  Winemaker notes explain that it “showcases a wide array of dark berry fruit including black cherry and raspberry … spice notes and a lasting finish of Vanilla from oak aging and firm, supple tannins add complexity to the wine.”

Cline Late Harvest Mourvèdre, 2006.  This was highlighted in a post last week here on the Weekly Wine Pick, but it is worth noting again.  This is a very unique wine—a sweet red–which frankly surprised me with its rich smooth complex flavors.

Their many other wines also deserve praise. Check out their website to see the full list and keep an eye out when you shop.