Cline Cellars facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cline Cellars Winery |
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| Location | Sonoma, California, USA |
| Appellation | Carneros AVA |
| Other labels | Farmhouse, Cashmere |
| Founded | 1982 |
| First vintage | 1982 |
| Key people | Nancy and Fred Cline, Proprietors; John Grant, CEO; Hilary Cline, Vice President of Marketing and DtC; Tom Gendall, Director of Winemaking and Viticulture; |
| Varietals | Zinfandel, Mourvèdre, Carignane, Pinot noir, Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne |
| Distribution | International |
| Tasting | Open to the public |
Cline Cellars Winery is a family-owned winery in Sonoma County, California. It is located in the Carneros wine region. The winery is known for its Zinfandel wines. They also make wines using grapes from the Rhône Valley in France. Other popular wines include Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Contents
History of Cline Cellars
In 1982, Fred Cline started Cline Cellars winery. He used money he received from his grandfather, Valeriano Jacuzzi. His grandfather was one of the Jacuzzi brothers who invented the famous whirlpool bath. The first winery was in Contra Costa County, California. Fred Cline was one of the first people in California to plant French Rhône grape types. He is also one of the original "Rhone Rangers". This is a group of winemakers who focus on Rhône-style wines.
In 1991, Fred and his wife Nancy Cline moved the winery. They moved it to a large property in the Carneros region of Sonoma Valley. This land has a rich history. It was once a village for the Miwok people. It was also the first site of Mission San Francisco de Solano. In the 1850s, a German family owned the land. They had a dairy farm and raised carp in six spring-fed ponds. These ponds are still on the property today! In 2007, Fred and Nancy Cline opened Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. It is right across the street from Cline Cellars. This new winery honors Fred's grandparents.
Vineyards and Sustainable Farming
Cline Cellars is famous for its "ancient vines" wines. These wines come from very old grapevines in Contra Costa County. Tom Gendall became the head winemaker in 2017. The old vineyards in Oakley have grapevines that are 80 to 120 years old. Some Carignane and Zinfandel vines were planted in 1906 and 1925. Some Mourvèdre vines date back to 1920.
The sandy soil in Contra Costa County helps protect these old vines. It naturally resists a tiny bug called phylloxera. This bug can harm grapevines. Because of the sand, the vines in this area are still on their original roots.
Cline Cellars cares a lot about protecting the environment. They use sustainable farming methods. Their vineyards and winery are certified as sustainable in California and Sonoma County. Cline Cellars is one of the largest wineries in California to use only solar power. They have many solar panels. They also use natural methods to keep their vineyards healthy. For example, they use sheep to eat weeds. They also use special "compost teas" to fertilize the soil. This means they don't use chemical fertilizers.
Visiting Cline Cellars
Tasting Room Experience
The winery's tasting room is in an old farmhouse from the 1850s. It is a very charming and rustic building. The farmhouse is surrounded by six spring-fed ponds. There are also thousands of beautiful rose bushes. You can visit the winery every day for tours and tastings. They also have a wine club for people who want to buy their wines regularly.
California Missions Museum
Nancy Cline opened the California Missions Museum in 2005. This museum celebrates the history of the land. It also shows the connection to the Sonoma Mission. The museum has a full set of models of the Spanish missions in California. These models were made by German craftspeople for a big event in 1939. In 1998, the Cline family saved these models from being sold separately. They built the museum to display them all together.
The museum also has a life-sized figure of Father Junipero Serra. He was an important figure in California's mission history. You can also see paintings of missions by Robert Morris and Henry Nelson. There are two beautiful stained-glass panels. These panels were originally in San Francisco's Mission Dolores. They were moved before the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The museum is open every day, and it is free to visit.
See also
- Sonoma County wine
