Cline Old Vine Zinfandel Review

Cline Old Vine Zinfandel comes from Sonoma, California, USA, with its fruit grown in Lodi, California.

According to the wine’s tasting notes, within Lodi there are seven distinct growing areas.  Almost all this wine’s grapes came from the Mokelumne River AVA, which is said to be home of the majority of the “old vines.”

The grapes for this wine were harvested between August 23rd and September 17th.  The wine itself was aged in 35% new French Oak with a medium toast level (which came through in the tasting below) and racked for 6-8 months.

Lastly, the winemakers (Charlie and Tom) have stated that this wine can either be enjoyed now or aged for a few years to develop additional character.

For more about this wine, check out the Cline Cellars website.

Cline Old Vine Zinfandel Wine Review

From the bottle:

Some of the vines for our Old Vine Zinfandel date back to 1942, making them 70+ years old.  They’ve lived a long life, developing character and depth along the way…

Sample of Cline Old Vine Zinfandel 2015  received for review purposes.

Appearance

Cline Old Vine Zinfandel is burgundy in color with a tinge of purple and red raspberry.  It’s not overly dark and a fair amount of light shines through.

It coats up the glass quite well and leaves legs that are numerous and quick to fall.

Aroma

I was immediately drawn to this wine’s soft combination of vanilla and floral aromas.  Very enjoyable.

There’s also a very slight note of dark chocolate and a hint of cherry.

I gave it a strong sniff, but didn’t feel any significant sting of alcohol in my nose.

Cline Old Vine Zinfandel alcohol content 14.0% by volume, per the bottle.

Taste

Tasting this wine revealed flavors of cherry and ripe red raspberry.  Quite lovely.

Though jammy, this wine’s flavors were “warm on the palate” to me, versus a heavy dark blend which would be much more soft.

While not overly complex in taste, Cline Old Vine Zinfandel gives you a nice clean focused flavor reminiscent of Oregon Pinot Noir.

Mouthfeel and Tannins

On the palate you get a linen like mouthfeel that’s reasonably smooth.

The tannins are present but quite supple.  They balance out the wine’s flavor nicely and are noticeable all over the palate.

Finish

Cline Old Vine Zinfandel is a long finishing red wine and the finish strikes a balance between the flavors and tannins.

Overall Opinion

Overall, well done Cline!

I found this Zin to be elegant, balanced and uncomplicated in quality.

Cline Old Vine Zinfandel price $10.99 SRP.  A great well-under $20 choice in my opinion.

Suggested Food Pairing

As I was drinking this wine, I kept thinking that Prime Rib would be an excellent pairing choice.

Prime Rib (to me) is a more clean tasting beef then say a rib eye or a strip.

Given this wine’s elegance and clean flavor, go with a Prime Rib for a nice balanced pairing.