Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel shows wonderful, fat strawberry, with coffee and chocolate characters. Aging in new and used wood has lent this wine a subtle vanilla quality that nicely complements the explosive fruit notes. Ripe fruit and soft tannins make this mouthcoating rich vintage a nice complement to pasta dishes with a light tomato sauce or grilled meats.
Cline's Ancient Vines Zinfandel draws primarily from Lodi and Oakley. Ninety-seven percent of this Zin comes from our oldest, most historic and shyest-bearing Zinfandel blocks in Oakley, Contra Costa County. Grapes were planted by Italian and Portuguese immigrants in the sandy, phylloxeraresistant soils more than 100 years ago. These ancient, dry-farmed vineyards consistently produce fruit of stunning concentration. The lots that we handselected are the result of sensitive farming practices, the singular Oakley terroir and a unique cooling band of air that flows from the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers. The remainder of the blend is selected from prized vineyards in Mendocino County.