Ask me what wineries produce portfolios that are all reliably terrific and Cline Cellars immediately comes to mind. Cline Cellars was founded by Fred Cline, grandson of Valeriano Jacuzzi, inventor of the Jacuzzi tub (Cline also owns Jacuzzi Vineyards). Cline cellars cultivates some grapes from vines from what was once his grandfather’s vineyard in Oakley–located in Costra County, California, which hosts some vines more than 100 years old. They also have vineyards at the winery in Sonoma and grow more in nearby Petaluma. Cline Cellars is now counted among a number of wineries that make Rhone-styled wines in America that are collectively called “The Rhone Rangers.” Several Rhone Rangers recently visted D.C. to present wines to the trade and press.
All of Cline wines deserve praise, but among my personal favorites are:
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 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.”
Check out the Cline Cellars website to see the full list of wines and keep an eye out when you shop.
