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  • Weather

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    10:42 AM
  • Wine average?

    88 Tb
  • Popularity ranking?

    258

History

It began on a farm in Oakley, CA in the tumultuous days of the late 1960s when a young Fred Cline spent summers on his grandfather’s farm. While the rest of the country was in cultural upheaval, Valeriano Jacuzzi, one of the seven Jacuzzi brothers who pioneered American aviation and water pumps, taught his grandson the cherished old-world ways of teasing magic from the soil.

 

Fred never lost his love for the soil. With new bride Nancy Bunting, he embarked on a mission to bring Rhone-style wines to American dinner tables. Restoring vines that were decades old, some over 100 years, Fred and Nancy produced Mourvedre, Carignane, Marsanne, Roussane and Viognier. He also planted acres of what would become legendary Cline Cellars Zinfandel.

 

In 1993, Fred and Nancy moved the winery to a 350-acre ranch in the famed Carneros Valley in Sonoma County. There the Clines planted Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. They opened a tasting room in the 1853 farmhouse, and renovated the grounds to highlight the history and pastoral beauty of the property.

 

Today, the Clines own many acres of vineyards throughout Sonoma County, with other properties in Oakley and Tehama. Passionate about the importance of history, they own and have restored the nearby Dillon Beach Resort, the Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, NV, and the Villa Laura in Tuscany. They also operate Green String Farm, a 150-acre working farm that produces a variety of fruits and vegetables grown on soil that is tended and nurtured without toxic chemicals. The produce from Green String is used by such culinary luminaries as Alice Waters of Chez Pannise.

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Vineyards

The "magnificent old vines that were in my own backyard" are what inspired Fred Cline to pioneer Rhone-style wines almost 30 years, before the varietals were popular in California. Cline Cellars now bears the reputation for producing some of the finest Rhône-style wines and Zinfandels in California.

 

Oakley – Ancient Vines. The Oakley ranch in Contra Costa County, 40 miles east of San Francisco, is home to some of the oldest and most rare grapevines in California. Some were planted more than 120 years ago. Cline’s Mourvèdre, Carignane and Zinfandel are sourced from these ancient vines. The sandy soil, deep roots, and a climate of hot days and cool nights—thanks to the confluence the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers nearby—make for vines that produce fruit of legendary intensity.

 

Carneros – The Estate. In 1991, Cline Cellars relocated to the coveted Carneros region in Sonoma. Afternoon winds from San Pablo Bay cool the blistering summer days, giving the grapes more time to ripen on the vine and create more flavor. The shallow clay and loam soils help the vines produce small, tight clusters of luscious fruit with an elegant balance of acidity and mineral. The estate is planted to Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne.

 

Sonoma Coast – Petaluma Gap. After fully developing the Carneros property, Fred Cline planted vineyards in nearby Petaluma, where the coastal fog and frequent rainfall create conditions similar to those of France’s Alsace region. As in Oakley, these vines produce a lower yield, but a superior fruit.

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