Cline Cellars' California Zinfandel is a dry red wine that tastes about like what you might expect from a Zinfadel. Many, though, regard this Zinfadel as much too fruity - it's common to see it described as even being jammy because of the strong fruit flavors. If you're looking for a fruity Zinfadel, this will work well. On the down side, there is a strong medicinal tastes that appears up front which can be unpleasant.
Color & Clarity
Cline Cellars' California Zinfandel is a deep, dark red. Brilliant highlights appear deep inside the ruby-hued wine.
Nose
This California Zinfandel has soft fruit aromas are accompanied by a slight spiciness.
Palate
Cline Cellars' California Zinfandel is a dry red wine that tastes about like what you might expect from a Zinfandel. Many, though, regard this Zinfandel as much too fruity — it's common to see it described as even being "jammy" because of the strong fruit flavors. If you're looking for a fruity Zinfandel, this will work well. On the down side, there is a strong medicinal tastes that appears up front which can be unpleasant.
If you're looking for a good Zinfandel for just about any occasion, you should consider the Ancient Vines Zinfandel, also from Cline Cellars. It has a better and more complex flavor for just a little more money.
Food Pairing
Beef dishes bring out even more of the fruitiness of this Zinfandel, reducing the medicinal taste and alcohol sharpness. This is a problem if fruity wines bother you, but overall it's a definite improvement.
Recipes
Cline Cellars' California Zinfandel is very good in red tomato sauces. The alcohol of course cooks away and the fruitiness is a nice compliment to the tomato flavor.
California Zinfandel
Cline Cellars
Cline Cellars was founded only in 1982 by Fred Cline, which is rather young given just how old some of their vines are. Cline Cellars was originally located in Oakely, California, where wine was first produced in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Because of disease and development, only about 600 of these century-old vines remain and Cline Cellars owns 300 of them.
The 2007 vintage of Cline Cellar's Zinfandel is produced from grapes grown in several different vineyards. Most were grown in Lodi and the rest come from Contra Costa County. According to Cline Cellars: "As always the California Zinfandel is a challenging and rewarding wine to produce.
Severe selection criteria and master blending show in the final product, which showcases a wide array of dark berry fruit including black cherry and raspberry. Additionally, spice notes and a lasting finish of vanilla from oak aging and firm, supple tannins add complexity to this wine. This wine is ready to drink now and will continue to develop complexity over the next three to four years."
