Cline Cellars in Sonoma, Ca.

Our Live Oak Zinfandel is named for Live Oak Road in Oakley, California. The vineyards run adjacent to this road and consistently produce some of our most complex, concentrated, and unique lots of Zinfandel. Cline Cellars has chosen to dry-farm the ancient, head-pruned vines. A practice employed by the Italian and Portuguese immigrants that planted this vineyard well before the turn of the century. The Oakley terroir is characterized by the hot sun, sandy soil, and a unique band of air that flows from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The terroir also contributes to these areas' resistance to phylloxera. Ultimately, this produces a stunning and concentrated Zinfandel.

The grapes from the Live Oak Vineyard were harvested at medium-high natural sugar levels and treated gently in the cellar to emphasize the explosive fruit characteristic of the block. The fruit was almost entirely destemmed and lightly crushed, with a large proportion of whole berries remaining in the must. Fermentation occurred at moderate temperatures in stainless steel tanks, using native yeast. After nine days of gentle “pump-overs” and near dryness, we drained and pressed the wine from its skins. The Live Oak Zin was minimally handled before being put down to the barrel. The wine was aged for 10 months in 40% new, medium –toasted, French oak.