Emily's Wine Blog: Winery Visit - Cline Cellars Sonoma Valley

Over spring break, I got an amazing opportunity to go to California and while we were there, my family and I visited Sonoma Valley. While there, we went to Cline Cellars, "located 45 minutes north of San Francisco in the Carneros AVA." They had a tasting room in an adorable farmhouse that used to be a farmhouse in the 1850s.

Grape plants near the parking lot

Super Pretty!!

Cline Cellars has a rich history beginning in the 1800s in Oakley, Contra Costa County with Fred Cline. Fred Cline’s grandfather, Valeriano Jacuzzi, (yes of the Jacuzzi hot tubs – the Jacuzzi winery was also right across the road from Cline) grew grew up in Oakley, and there is where Fred learned about wine. He then went to U.C. Davis and got a degree in Agriculture Management and in 1982, Fred founded Cline Cellars near Oakley, California. Here, he preserved and restored many ancient vine sites to their rightful reign as premier California wine lands.

In 1991, Fred and his wife Nancy relocated the winery to the Carneros region of Sonoma County on a historic 350-acre estate with new vineyards and facilities. Here, he brought a new dimension of wine to the region pioneering the planting of classic Rhône varietals such as Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne.

Throughout the years, Fred has produced some of northern California’s most distinctive Rhône-style wines and amazing Zinfandels. He has received many 90+ point ratings from Wine Spectator. Wine & Spirits called his Ancient Vines Mourvèdre “one of the top 100 values,” and in 2011 Robert Parker Jr. wrote in the Wine Advocate, “this is the finest portfolio of value-priced wines from Cline Cellars that I have tasted to date.”

The Tasting Room!

Upon arrival we went straight to the tasting house and tasted a variety of delicious wines. We got to taste 5 wines for free and had to pay for the rest. Below are the five wines that I tasted and the notes that went along with them that I found on the website, they did a great job of noting lots of information about each of their wines so that people purchasing it can know what they are buying for the most part! The five wines I tasted were:

1. 2009 Cool Climate Chardonnay, $9.60:

Described as aromatic and well-balanced with luscious green apple, pear and a touch of vanilla toast.

Vineyard Notes: The majority of the Chardonnay for this wine comes from our Lazy C Vineyard on Sonoma Coast. The area experiences the cooling effect of the Pacific with ocean breezes and fog most days during the growing season. It is a renowned growing region for Chardonnay where the fruit develops bright acids and big apple-pear character as it ripens slowly over the course of the long, cool growing season.

Production Notes: The 2010 growing season was very cool with the exception of a few hot days. Cool weather toward the end of the season and above average rainfall led us to harvest when the fruit was slightly lower in sugar. The resulting wine is delicate, complex and elegant. After handpicking and de-stemming, the fruit was pumped directly to our tank press where the juice was gently extracted. It was then pumped into a settling tank, cooled to 55°F, then racked (decanted) to the fermenting tank. We added pure wine yeast and kept the fermentation at 55°F to maintain the fresh fruit character. Fifty percent of the wine was fermented four months sur lees in new American oak barrels to bring out a creamy, toasty character, and the rest we kept chilled in stainless tanks. The wine was blended back together, cold stabilized at 28°F, and filtered before bottling.

Food Pairing: This classic, versatile Chardonnay will pair beautifully with a wide variety of light to medium bodied foods, or as a stand-alone aperitif.

Love these trees

Small Fountain

2. Oakley 2010 fourWHITES, $8.80:

Described as crisp, flavorful, adventurous and affordable.

About this wine: OAKLEY fourWHITES is a blend of grape varietals that includes Palomino, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia Bianca and Viognier from our Contra Costa vineyards. Bright citrus and peach flavors make this wine excellent on its own or paired with seafood dishes and salads. Round up your posse, serve slightly chilled and enjoy.

Vineyard Notes:This vintage of Oakley fourWHITES is a crisp and bright blend of Palomino, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia Bianca and Viognier from our Contra Costa vineyards.

Production Notes:To create this unique blend, we cold-ferment in stainless steel and block malolactic fermentation. The finished blend went through a light filtration to preserve as much freshness, fruit and varietal characters as possible.

Winemaker Notes: First and foremost, when selecting grapes for the OAKLEY fourWHITES program, we seek good acid balance, intense fruit and the uniqueness that each varietal brings to the blend as a whole. This vintage offers bright, crisp, citrus and peach notes with a fresh, clean finish. This is a great everyday wine - adventurous, affordable and delicious.

Food Pairing: Enjoy the OAKLEY fourWHITES as an aperitif with appetizers such as ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella drizzled with your best extra-virgin olive oil or seafood dishes and citrus salads. Serve slightly chilled.

Grape Plants

3. Cline 2011 Pinot Gris, $10.40:

Described as a wine that is to be enjoyed after a hard day of work or a relaxing day by the pool.

About this wine: Refreshing and approachable, our Pinot Gris has exquisite flavors of peach, pears and apricots with delicate apple. A nice bright acidity and fresh fruit are enhanced by not using oak in the winemaking process.

Vineyard Notes:

Cline’s 2011 Pinot Gris is made from grapes grown in our estate vineyards located in the Sonoma Coast appellation. This is a cool growing location that yields grapes with good intensity and bright acid.

Production Notes:

Grapes were de-stemmed and transferred directly to our tank press where the skins and solids were separated from the juice. The juice was then pumped to a temperature controlled, chilled, stainless-steel tank where it settled for twenty-four hours. The extremely low solids juice was then racked to a fermenting tank, a pure wine yeast was added and the juice fermented at low temperatures to preserve the natural flavors and freshness of the grapes.

Winemaker Notes:

Refreshing and approachable, our Pinot Gris shows exquisite pear flavor blended with delicate apple and peach notes. Bright acidity and fresh fruit are enhanced by not using oak in the winemaking process.

Food Pairing:

Enjoy this wine with light fare such as foie gras, citrus chicken salad, herb-crusted halibut and lobster with tarragon butter.

A little house you can stay at!!

Whole tasting Room

4. Cline Mourvedre Rose $16.80:

Described as pleasant fruit on the nose, plum, pomegranate and cherry dominate, balanced by a delicate hint of sweet anise.

About this wine: This refreshing rosé is made from Mourvèdre grown on our historic Oakley ranch in Contra Costa county. In the wonderful tradition of rosés found in France and Spain, this wine served slightly chilled is perfect on its own, is delightful at a picnic at the beach and marries extremely well with food.

Vineyard Notes: Our 100-year-old vineyards planted in Oakley’s deep sand-soil provides us with this wonderful Mourvèdre Rosé. These very special vineyards benefit from the cooling effects of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers which allows the grapes to hold their bright acidity. The combination of extremely well-drained soil and below average rainfall creates a tonnage-limiting environment that produces grapes with great intensity.

Production Notes: The color in red wine comes from the extraction of pigment from the skins. This takes place during the warm, extended fermentation of the grapes. Our Mourvèdre Rosé is made in the style of a white wine; the skins are removed by pressing before the fermentation begins. What results is the wine picks-up a small amount of color and a little of the astringent tannins. Juice is fermented slowly at cold temperatures to preserve the bright fruit flavors and halted just before the wine is dry.

Winemaker Notes: Mourvèdre is a rare grape in California and we produce four distinct bottlings: two rich, red table wines, a chewy dessert wine and this lovely Rosé with hints of pomegranate, cherry and plum.

Food Pairing:In the wonderful tradition of rosés found in Portugal, Spain, Italy and France, this wine served well-chilled is perfect on its own, is refreshing at a beach picnic and marries extremely well with food such as chicken Provencal, salmon or a Teriyaki dish.

The barrel at the entrance

5. Cline 2010, Marsanne Roussane, $17.60:

Described as Finally, a white wine that red lovers will covet. Aromatic, clean, and richly flavorful

About this wine: A blend of Marsanne (71%) and Roussanne (29%), this wine has (a lot) more structure than a bowl full of jelly. And with its lean, un-oaked style it’s guaranteed to fit down the chimney with ease. Loaded with mouthwatering tropical and honey flavors plus sparkling citrus notes, this food friendly wine is a perfect complement to oysters, sea bass or Ahi tuna. For a seasonal pairing, try it with homemade ginger and butternut squash soup. Yum!

Vineyard Notes: The four acres of Marsanne that contribute to this blend are planted on our estate in Sonoma Carneros (our Carneros vineyard is also situated in the Sonoma Coast AVA). The Roussanne is grown in our Petaluma Gap vineyards also located within the Sonoma Coast AVA. This area is known for its cool and moderate temperatures. The fog intrudes, and lingers until noon on some summer days, providing an ideal growing environment for these exceptional Northern Rhône varietals.

Production Notes: Grapes are handpicked and de-stemmed then pumped directly to our tank press which gently squeezes the juice free of the skins and seeds. From there it is pumped to a settling tank where it is chilled to 55 degrees F then racked the next day. At this point the wine begins its conversion to the brightly flavorful white wine called Cline Marsanne Roussanne.

Winemaker Notes: Marsanne and Roussanne are the Northern Rhone Valley’s two most important white wine grape varieties and are regularly blended together. There are less than 250 combined acres of these grapes in California making them a bit of a rarity.

Food Pairing: Our Marsanne Roussanne can be enjoyed as an elegant aperitif or paired with rosemary chicken, sea bass, rabbit in white wine sauce or raw oysters.