SFist Drinks: Cline Cellars in Sonoma
We're taking a break from the regular cocktail column today to highlight one of our favorite wineries in the Greater Bay Area, Cline Cellars. Situated at the south end of Hwy 121, just past the Infineon Raceway, it's a mere hour's drive from SF. Given that their tasting room stays open until 6 p.m., it makes for a convenient last stop on any Sonoma wine-tasting trip, and one that will likely make you a devoted fan.
They specialize in Zinfandels -- many of you might be familiar with the $8 California Zin available at Safeway and Trader Joe's -- but they also feature a number of awesome Rhône-style whites, reds and blends. For summer, we highly recommend their Mourvedre Rosé, which is dry enough not to feel like the grape juice that many rosés lean toward. Also their Viognier is fruity and mineral-y without too much Chardonnay-like oakiness, and the Marsanne-Rousanne blend is a unique and herbal white on the drier end of the spectrum. On the red end, when it's in stock, the Cashmere is a fantastic red blend for the price ($21, $16 for members), and even better and richer is the Heritage Zinfandel -- both of which are only available on site or online.
Cline now has a blog, where they highlight specific aspects of their wine making and announce various events. If you have the means, a membership at Cline is one of the best deals running in wine country, giving you 20% discount on all purchases and shipments of various sizes or frequencies.
What sets Cline apart from many of their nearby counterparts are a dozen unique, reasonably priced and consistently good wines. We would say that no one in Sonoma or Napa is offering so much for so little these days -- but we won't argue if you're a fan of $60 Cabernets that make your whole mouth seize up with tannins and $30 Chardonnays that taste like wood chips covered in butter. We're with Thomas Keller on the Zinfandel train.