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CLINE CELLARS
Technical Notes
1997 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre
Contra Costa County
HARVEST DATE: August 13 to September 17
BRIX AT HARVEST: 23.6° to 26.1°
TOTAL ACIDITY: 0.61 g/100ml
FINAL PH: 3.50
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.15 g/100ml
ALCOHOL: 14.0%
SUGGESTED RETAIL: $20

VINTAGE NOTES

Harvest 1997 was yet another early year. Once again, a warm spring contributed to a fast growing cycle, which meant that Cline Cellars' grapes were brought in three weeks earlier than usual. Additionally, the 1997 harvest was an extremely large crop to those at Cline Cellars, despite what is admittedly a minuscule harvest by state averages. Indeed, this harvest brought to Cline Cellars a exceedingly high-quality crop of very forward; very structured fruit blessed with extraordinary dark ruby colors. Specifically, Mourvèdre grapes harvested from Contra Costa County vineyards exhibited exceptional body, deliciously ripe fruit and a complex tannin structure.

VINEYARDS

The 1997 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre draws from a wide selection of our oldest, most historic and shyest-bearing Mourvèdre blocks, all of which are over 100 years in age. These special vineyards consistently produce fruit of stunning concentration. The lots that we hand-selected for the 1997 blend showed an added degree of ripeness and dimension that is the result of sensitive farming practices, the singular Oakley terrior and a unique cooling band of air that flows in from the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers. By restricting yields to 2 to 3 tons per acre (a record year for these vineyards), we have achieved sublime expression of the dark, dusty cherry fruit quality that is so characteristic of old vine, Contra Costa Mourvèdre.

FERMENTATION AND AGING

Individual lots of fruit for the 1997 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre were harvested separately according to ripeness and balance of acidity. The grapes underwent near total destemming and a very gentle crushing to ensure a large proportion of whole berries in the must--contributing to the explosive fruit character of the wine. Fermentation was carried out in stainless steel with select cultured yeasts after a 48-hour cold soak to extract color and flavor early on. The wines were pressed off their skins at dryness and racked twice before being laid down to a complement of small American and French cooperage--approximately 30% new American. Prior to bottling, separate lots of Mourvèdre were blended together to achieve a balanced and harmonious wine, exhibiting firm structure, ripe tannins and plush fruit.

WINEMAKER'S COMMENTS

Mourvèdre, once widely planted in California at the turn of the century, has dwindled in acreage to about 300 acres. Cline Cellars controls a full 90%, making us the sole bearers of an important and historic Californian viticulture tradition. An interesting grape to work with in the cellar. Mourvèdre is particularly resistant to oxidization and is capable of producing wines with firm structure and rich, dark fruit that will age for over a decade. The 1997 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre, is a beautiful example of how well our 100 plus year old Mourvèdre vines respond to modern winemaking techniques. Redolent of dark cherry, chocolate, eucalyptus, exotic spice and earth character, the 1997 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre is delicious presently and will age for well over a decade.

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