2020 Cline Eight Spur Dry Creek Zinfandel ($25)

Cline Family Cellars, a certified sustainable family-owned and operated winery and vineyard holder based in the Carneros wine appellation of Sonoma County, California, has recently announced the introduction of Cline Family Cellars Sonoma AVA Series, a collection of four varietal wines sourced from the best growing regions in Sonoma County.

These traditionally planted Zinfandel blocks are distinctive. Short stout vines stand on their own with no trellis, their gnarled arms reaching in all directions. Original farmers called this vine pruning technique “Eight Spur.” It was back-breaking work, going vine-to-vine to create a canopy that exposed grapes to the right mix of sun, breeze and shade – but history shows that’s what it takes to make the very best Zinfandel.

This Cline Eight Spur Zinfandel is made from 100% Zinfandel grapes harvested from 100-year-old vines at the northern most end of Dry Creek Valley. Grapes are hand-harvested at night, gently de-stemmed and transferred to stainless steel closed-top tanks. The wine ferments naturally warm as wild yeast begins fermentation. Temperatures peak at 90F and the wine is left on skins for 18 days to ensure complete fermentation while being pumped over twice a day. At peak fermentation the wine is pumped-over 3 times a day before dropping to once a day for the final 8 days. It is gently drained and pressed off into separate fractions for malolactic fermentation in barrel. It is aged in 40% new French oak for 15 months before being blended and bottled.

This wine is deep ruby in color with bright aromas of black cherry and blackberry. On the palate it has nice deep flavors of dark fruit, medium tannin and a soft finish. It is gluten free and vegan friendly. This is a very nice Zinfandel from Dry Creek and, at the price, is a perfect fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Cline Cellars via Donna White Communications