Cline Cellars Ancient Vines Mourvèdre 2014

Gather round folks, we’ve a tale for ye… In the late 1800s, Oakley, California, was a booming farming community with thousands of acres of orchards and healthy vineyards. On summer visits to his grandparents, who lived here, young Fred Cline developed a passion for winemaking. Years later, after gaining a degree in agriculture, he hurried back to the farm with his inheritance money and set up Cline Cellars. His wine is now critically lauded, in particular this heavenly eucalyptus, bitter chocolate and plum-flavoured Mourvèdre.
In the latter part of the 1800s, Oakley, Contra Costa County, was a booming farming community with thousands of acres of orchards and healthy vineyards. Fred Cline's maternal grandfather, Valeriano Jacuzzi of pump and spa fame, called this place home. On summer visits to his grandparents, Fred learned both the love of agricultural life and the mysteries of vinifying grapes into wine. These lessons led Fred to obtain a degree in Agriculture Management from U.C. Davis. In 1982, with an inheritance from his grandfather, Fred founded Cline Cellars near Oakley, California. Here, he preserved and restored many ancient vine sites to their rightful reign as premier California wine lands. In 1991, Fred and his wife Nancy relocated the winery from Oakley to the Carneros region of Sonoma County on a historic 350-acre estate with new vineyards and facilities. While much of the cool Carneros region is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot, Fred pioneered the planting of Rhône varietals including Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne.