Palate
Layers of flavor including chocolate, cherry and green olive, together with silky tannins, this is a complex and flavorful wine.
Growing Conditions
Cline Home Ranch is located in the fog-and-wind-cooled southern Sonoma Carneros growing regions surrounding the winery, with gentle slopes to flat land. Soils vary from deep, gravelly loams to shallow (less than 18 inches) clay and loam. The cool growing conditions bring out the classic herbal flavors of these grapes.
The Lazy C vineyard located in the "Petaluma Gap" area of the Sonoma Coast also sees long, cool and foggy growing conditions and is known for the wind that flows through the area and slows down grape ripening.
Winemaking
The grapes are hand-picked and destemmed without crushing. This gentle handling provides a smooth finish with ample tannin. The grapes are pumped to a stainless tank and inoculated with a pure stain of wine yeast. Fermentation temperature is controlled at a maximum of 85 degrees and the wine is pressed at dryness. Malolactic fermentation is completed in the primary fermenter. The wine is racked and moved to barrels.
Aging
Approximately 35% of the wine is aged in new French oak for a period of 14 months.
Food Pairing
Pairs very well with a range of dishes from pork ravioli to ratatouille.
