ClineFamilyCllrs Mourvedre AncientVines ContraCostaCnty (15.0%; 12 mo. in 30% new Am.oak) 2014: Med.dark color; strong Mourv/plummy/pomegranate some dusty/OV light earthy/mushroomy/ContraCosta quite attractive innteresting nose; lightly tart bright/rich Mourv/plummy/pomegranate some earthy/mushroomy/CC light dusty/OV flavor w/ light smooth tannins; long strong plummy/pomegranate/dusty/OV bit earthy/mushroomy finish w/ light smooth tannins; quite an attractive Mourv at a great price. $15.00 (KK)
A wee BloodyPulpit:
It’s kinda interesting how a wnry that was once one of your favorites just sorta falls off your radar. Such is the case of Cline. When Matt & Fred were partners, I always tried their wines & liked them quite a lot…some of the best wines out of ContraCosta. When they parted company and Fred moved to Sonoma and started a focus on Rhones, I just sort of lost interest. I’d occasionally try their CoolClimate Syrah (from their vnyd in the PetalumaGap) and found it to be excellent, as well as their Viognier. But the Syrah I’d seldom see here in NM.
Back in April, winemaker Charlie Tsegeletos signed on for NEB#6 w/ their current Nebbiolo. I checked out the JacuzziFamily WebSite, found a bunch of things that interested me (this is their Italian varietals program), tried them a few weeks ago & liked what I tried. So I scolded myself for being such a doofus and pledged I would revisit Cline. Which I will do in a few weeks when I visit Charlie.
So when I saw this AV Mourvedre on the shelf, I decided I’d give it a shot this weekend. Glad I did. When I last tried the Cline AV Mourv, maybe 10-15 yrs ago, I thought it rather on the soft/soupy side and lacking in structure. This Mourv was not at all like that. It had a lot of bright Mourv fruit (as bright as it gets for Mourv) and spoke more of CCCnty than I recalled. It reminded me a lot of the old Ridge Mataros w/o all the Ridge oak. Also reminded me a lot of some of the Dirty&Rowdy Mourvs, but w/ a bit more polish. I recall the old Cline AV Mourvs as showing a lot of eucalyptus. Wasn’t here at all that I could find.
Anyway…it’s always nice to renew an old friendship…be it w/ people or wines.
Tom
I have not had a Cline in quite a while. I have tried Matt Cline’s Three Wine Company CoCo Old Vine Field Blend, and I thought it was good for sub-$20.
I really enjoyed the Cline single-vineyard Zins, and the Small Berry Mourvedre, back around 1995-2000 vintages. The fear of oak and (as you said) “soup” kept me from buying any for a long time.
I see that the Ancient Vines Mourvedre and Carignan bottlings are available online around $15. I really owe them a try.
Yup…I see the Cline wines in TJ’s and around a lot in shops…so you sorta just blow them off as “not worthy” of your attention.
I was quite pleasantly surprised by this wine. Nothing profound but just good drinking at a very fair price. Sometimes that’s just all you want.
Tom
My guess is that Charlie and Cline have been making a single variety Mourvedre longer than most, if not any, California winery. Yep, they’ve definitely been somewhat ‘marginalized’ and have not been in the spotlight as much as they used to.
After $15 retail, this is a steal if it lives up to what you mentioned it was. The only old vine Mourvedre I see on their site is the 2013, not the 2014. And it is aged in 100% American oak - do you pick any of that up in this wine?
I also noticed that they make a ‘small berry Mourvedre’ that is much more expensive - $70 or $56 for their wine club. They note that this is planted near Eucalyptus trees and therefore picks up a bit of that.
Thanks for the TN, Tom, I’ll have to try this! I’ve had both the '12 and '13 AV Mourvèdre and liked them both. The '12 is a bit richer and deeper, but they are both very good, great QPR, and should continue to develop for some years IMO.
The AV Zinfandel hasn’t been as much to my liking, tho.
Just had their Carignan the other night Tom. It was actually better than I remember it. I remember liking the Mourvedre and also the Cashmere they’ve been making for a while - I think it has a good shot of Mourvedre in it. I kind of left them alone for a while but maybe it’s time to revisit.
I was just about to mention that. The small berry Mourvedre is excellent, though I didn’t know it cost that much! Our friends are in the Cline wine club and shared it with us a couple of times.