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VS

Victor de la Serna
Is Cline Ancient Vines Mourvdre 2006 a drinkable wine?

Lavinia has it on sale at 12.90 euros...

(With this recession, prices are dropping like rocks...)
 
This is Lavinia central headquarters in Madrid. And yes, there are many better things around. But no Cali mourvdre...
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
surely they are much better things to drink at that price point in paris.
I had a bottle of this a couple years ago (not sure if it was the '06) and did not like it at all. With that said, I would echo Bill's comment above; just without the Paris part.
 
originally posted by VS:
This is Lavinia central headquarters in Madrid. And yes, there are many better things around. But no Cali mourvdre...

it's not very interesting to begin with and who knows what kind of condition it's in.
if you've got 13 euro you don't know what to do with, it could be a data point.
 
There's a nifty little Manchuela for 13 euros at Lavinia, now that you mention it, but that one I can get considerably cheaper... :-)
 
originally posted by Lou Kessler:
My opinionUnless they have changed styles in the last couple of years, I would say pass.

Cline's "Ancient Vines" bottlings are their mass market offerings and, since Matt Cline's departure a decade or so ago even Cline's more expensive wines have taken on a very -- dare I say it? -- spoofulated character. It's less about oak than it is about various frooty elements, not to mention a pervasive eucalyptus/menthol character that may not be due to the gum trees growing outside their tasting room. There's far more interesting Monastrell a lot closer to home, Victor, so I'd only buy the Cline if you want to assess the state of commercial wine "manufacturing" in the 21st Century.

Mark Lipton
 
I might add to the above that our Steve Edmunds made the two best Mourvdres I've ever tasted from CA and two of the best I've ever tasted from anywhere (before the vines were ripped out in the late 1980s). Paul Draper also has made some excellent Mourvdre (labelled Matar) at Ridge over the years -- some from the same source as Cline, I believe. So the potential is out here -- you just have to get the right vineyard and producer.
 
Have any of you tasted the wines that Matt Cline is now making on his own? He actually admits that he is going for an extreme style, and what he has put in the bottle bears so little resemblance to wine that it's a wonder he can sell it as such. Honestly, by comparison his new stuff makes the current Cline offerings taste like 1970s Bordeaux.
 
originally posted by David M. Bueker:
Have any of you tasted the wines that Matt Cline is now making on his own? He actually admits that he is going for an extreme style, and what he has put in the bottle bears so little resemblance to wine that it's a wonder he can sell it as such. Honestly, by comparison his new stuff makes the current Cline offerings taste like 1970s Bordeaux.

yes, i have tasted them. i can picture the label but can't remember what they are called. pretty forgettable.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
originally posted by David M. Bueker:
Have any of you tasted the wines that Matt Cline is now making on his own? He actually admits that he is going for an extreme style, and what he has put in the bottle bears so little resemblance to wine that it's a wonder he can sell it as such. Honestly, by comparison his new stuff makes the current Cline offerings taste like 1970s Bordeaux.

yes, i have tasted them. i can picture the label but can't remember what they are called. pretty forgettable.

3 Wine Company
 
Cline makes their mourvedre from Contra Costa County grapes that have a problem with brett as well. Definitely a pass.
Now if you see Carlisle Two Acres or mourvedre from Tablas Creek, Core or Terre Rouge, give it a go.
I also like A Donkey and a Goat mourvedre, but there's so little of it made I doubt any makes it to Europe.
 
Speaking of change in styles: For BTG in average restaurants, I used to find Jed Steele's wines passable, including his Shooting Star line. Well, had a glass of the pinot noir tonight and it was miserably oaky. Did he change or did I just luck out on previous wine choices?
 
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