Cline Cellars
Mar 28th, 2010 by Alana
Cachet. When I visit this winery, I feel like I’ve come home. The drive onto the property is lined with rose bushes. The parking lot draws you towards a multitude of excellent choices…walk straight to one of three tasting rooms, head for a shady picnic table near one of several ponds, tour the one-of-kind museum of California Mission models or visit the exotic birds on display in the aviaries. All of these choices and yet the atmosphere feels like you have walked into someone’s private farm…albeit a very lovely one that makes fabulous wine.
Wine. Cline wines come in five groupings: Oakley (from the San Joaquin Delta area), California (blends from various vineyards), Sonoma County, Ancient Vines, and Single Vineyards. With all these choices, there is something for everyone! The Oakley group is often a best buy from Wine Enthusiast. The California series has interesting wines like Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay, Viognier, Syrah (blend) and Cline’s well-known California Zinfandel. Ancient vines are popular in California, people love to talk about them. Cline has four wines in this group: Mourvedre Rose, Carignane, Mourvedre and Zinfandel. The single vineyard wines are my favorite with the Small Berry Mourvedre leading the pack.
People. Everyone that I have encountered at this winery has a happy and relaxed demeanor…tasting room staff, winemakers, management and visitors. I use the tasting room reserved for club members…the cutest little room with two to three enthusiastic, smiling people behind the counter. I think the intimacy of this room lends a tremendous amount to the convivial atmosphere. But of course, it comes down to the people. They are genuinely enthusiastic and seem to love their jobs. Once at a large event, my husband and I were chatting with winemaker Charlie Tsegeletos and he got so excited by all of our questions, he spontaneously led us on a private barrel tasting.
Getting there. If you have one day to visit and you choose Sonoma County, I recommend you start or end your day at Cline. Marin County (where I live) is beautiful so if you are coming from San Francisco or points north, take advantage and drive through Marin. From Hwy 101, (the unfortunate asphalt divider of Marin) take Hwy 37 (a stunning Marsh area) to Hwy 121. Follow the signs to Sonoma and you’ll soon find yourself in rolling pastures surrounded by cows, goats and hawks. This is the Carneros AVA. Cline is one of the first wineries (on the left).
I Very much agree with you Aunt Alana! Every time we go to Cline I always have a sense of comfort. It is always beautiful with a family feel. Plus we always have fun and leave with way to much wine