Cline Cellars is a family-owned vineyard and winery with 460 hectares under vine in Contra Costa County and Sonoma County, California. Established in 1982 by Fred Cline, a descendant of Italian US settlers, he originally founded the winery in Oakley, Contra Costa County, cultivating Rhône varieties and Zinfandel on vines dating back to 1906. In the 1990s, the family moved their winemaking operation to a 350 acre ranch in Carneros Valley, adopting sustainable farming in 2000, and building the largest solar panelled winery in California. Whist others in California were focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in the ‘80s, Fred Cline saw the potential of Rhône varieties and Zinfandel in his vineyards.

Three sustainably farmed vineyards supply the fruit for this wine. The Sonoma grapes come from a
well-drained hillside vineyard on Sonoma Mountain. Cool evenings and warm days allow this fruit to
ripen to perfection and retain good natural acidity. The balance of the fruit comes from two flat-land
vineyards of Contra Costa County. The soils in these vineyards are clay loam and the vineyards benefit
from warm days and cool nights.

Grapes were handpicked at the peak of ripeness, then under went total
destemming and a very gentle crushing to ensure a large proportion of whole berries were left in the
must. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel tanks with native yeasts, and was maintained at the ideal
temperature to aid in the extraction of flavor and color. The wine was pressed off its skins at dryness
before being racked to lightly-toasted American Oak (50% new) where it gently aged for 8 months.

Pair this wine with full-bodied foods such as a grilled steak or portobello mushroom.