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“An indulgence you can afford” is how Cline Cellars describes this silky Rhone-style blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache. Sourced from the cool hills of the Sonoma Coast as well as dry-farmed vineyards in the Oakley region of Contra Costa County, Cashmere enchants with juicy black and red fruit and notes of spice and pepper. Cline Cellars developed this wine as a way to donate funds in the fight against Breast Cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. In the 21 years since the first vintage of Cashmere, the winery has been able to donate $792,000 to the cause. While modeled on the soft, juicy-ripe, perfumed reds of the Southern Rhone, it nevertheless asserts its California identity with its seductive color and intense fruit flavor. Food pairings include pork, chicken, or duck – especially featuring Mediterranean spices including red pepper, sage, rosemary, and olives.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay may seem ubiquitous in Northern California’s wine industry, but it wasn’t always that way. Seeing the old vineyards near his grandfather’s ranch in Oakley, California, Fred Cline learned that wine growers 100 years ago preferred Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mataro (Mourvedre) and Carignan – often planted together in one vineyard as a “field blend.” Because this pattern is found in old vineyards throughout the state, it must have been a conscious choice among winegrowers back then. They must have understood that Zin and the Rhone varieties perform better under California’s dry but variable conditions than the finicky, slow-ripening Cabernet. These vines can thrive without irrigation (a.k.a. “dry-farming”) and the blending of grapes with different qualities would have ensured that the finished wine attained a proper balance of sugar, acid, ripeness and tannin.
In order to pursue his interest in Zinfandel, Rhone grape varieties and old vineyards, Fred Cline founded Cline Cellars near Oakley in 1981. The Ancient Vines bottlings are made from grapes grown in these low-yielding, Contra Costa County vineyards. In 1991, Cline moved his winemaking facility to a large ranch in Carneros, the cool, wind-swept district just north of San Pablo Bay between Napa and Sonoma counties. Even though Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate the vineyards here, Cline decided to plant Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussane and has proven that even in a cool climate these varietals can develop intense but elegant fruit and perfume. A more recent acquisition lies near Petaluma, in Sonoma County, and Cline Cellars has now added Pinot Noir to its roster of Zinfandel and Rhone reds and whites.
A focus on Zinfandel and Rhone varietal wines has not always been easy, but Cline Cellars has repeatedly earned accolades and critical acclaim. Over the years, many of the Zinfandels and others have earned 90 points and up in the Wine Spectator, and Wine & Spirits has called the Ancient Vines Mourvèdre “one of the top 100 values.” It doesn’t get much better than this: hand-crafted wines from sustainably-farmed vineyards that are intimately connected to California’s winemaking history. The wines of Cline Cellars are deep and rich with elegance, complexity and flavor AND available at reasonable prices.
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Appellation(s) | California |
| Winery | Cline |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Color | Red |
| Varietal(s) | Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bottle Size | 8.0 x 30.0 |
| Case Size | 33.5 x 25.0 x 30.5 |
| Alcohol | 14.5% |
| Product Code | CL20CAS |
| UPC | 098652400019 |
Smooth and velvety, the wine enchants with plum, raspberry, and boysenberry with notes of bacon and toast. The medium-bodied palate offers a generous mouthful of red berries, plum, and elderberry leading to notes of coffee and black pepper on the long finish.
Vineyard blocks were harvested separately. Gentle destemming left a large proportion of whole berries in the must to encourage fruit flavors and soften the tannins. After fermentation in steel tanks, the grapes were pressed and aged in 28% new French oak for 12 months.