These are two delightful, high QPR, food friendly, everyday wines I’d recommend for both wine novices and enthusiasts.

Finding a $40 bottle of wine that delights my palate is easy.  Finding an under $15 that delights my palate is much more of a challenge.

Let me digress a bit.

When I first started my wine journey many moons ago, I didn’t know what I liked.  Like most wine novices, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money finding out.  So, more often than not, the wines I purchased cost $15 or less.

I tried many under $15 Old and New World wines, and it didn’t take long to realize a pattern emerged for me.  I found myself frequently making repeat purchases of wines from Cline Family Cellars.  Mostly their red Cashmere blend, but there were many others as well.

My palate has evolved since then but, to this day, Cline remains my top of mind producer for delightful, high QPR wines.

Disclosure: The wines were provided to me as a media samples from Cline Family Cellars. I received no compensation for this post, and all opinions presented are my own.

The Wines

I received samples of the 2017 Farmhouse White  and 2016 Farmhouse Red.  Farmhouse is a Cline Family Cellars brand.

In 2003, Fred and Nancy Cline of Cline Family Cellars teamed up with Bob Cannard to create the Green String Farm and Institute in Petaluma, CA, where students from around the world come to learn Bob’s farming methods that cultivate healthy, biodiverse, living soils.

The Green String method of farming advocates the long-term health and well-being of the planet and promotes and enhances biodiversity of the soil. Green String farming practices forgo the use of herbicides, pesticides and other harmful chemicals, relying instead on the use of friendly insects to control pests, sheep and goats to remove harmful weeds from the vineyards, and compost tea to stimulate the biology of the soil.

Farmhouse takes its name from the school-house located on the farm.   The schoolhouse , serves as the library and study room for conscientious students from around the globe seeking to learn the Green String method of sustainable farming.  The goal is to teach students how to improve the biology of the lands that they steward while growing naturally healthy food, and that include wine grapes.  .

My tasting notes follow:

2017 Cline Cellars Farmhouse White – USA, California
Color – Very pale straw
Aromas – Peach, pineapple and citrus
Body – Medium-bodied, between dry and off-dry with vibrant acidity
Taste – Ripe peach, nectarine, melon and lemon curd
Finish – Medium

A blend of 41% Palomino, 25% Muscat Canelli, 22% Roussanne, 6% Marsanne, 5% Viognier and 1% Riesling sustainably farmed grapes that were fermented and raised in stainless steel tanks without malolactic fermentation| 13.5% avb|SRP = $10.99 (87 pts.)

2016 Cline Cellars Farmhouse Red – USA, California
Color – Ruby
Aromas – Appealing red fruit, black cherry, and white pepper
Body – Medium-bodied very good acidity, soft tannins and a supple texture
Taste – Black cherry, plum and a hint of peppery spice
Finish – Medium

A blend of 59% Zinfandel 15% Syrah 9% Carignane 6% Mourvèdre 6% Mixed Reds, and 5% Petite Sirah sustainably  farmed grapes that were handpicked and fermented in stainless steel. After fermentation, the wine is racked to 40% new French oak with a medium toast |14% abv|SRP – $10.99 (87 pts.)

These are two delightful, high QPR, food friendly, everyday wines I’d recommend for both wine novices and enthusiasts.

About Cline Family Cellars

Cline Family Cellars is a family-owned and operated winery in Sonoma, California, built on a passion for winemaking and rooted in respect for the land.

Fred Cline started Cline Family Cellars in 1982 in Oakley, California, making his first vintages from original plantings of Mourvedre, Zinfandel, and Carignane, some of which dated back to the 1880’s.

In 1989, Fred purchased a 350-acre horse farm in Carneros and moved the winery to Sonoma County. As one of the original Rhone Rangers, he began planting varietals that included a number of vineyards dedicated to Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne. Since those first plantings, Fred and his wife Nancy have continued to plant vineyards throughout Sonoma County.

If you get a chance, I recommend stopping by their tasting room.  The picnic friendly grounds are beautiful and it’s one of the few larger scale value-oriented producers with a tasting room.

To learn more about Farmhouse Wines and the Green String farm, click on the video below to watch the story.

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