2016 Three Wine Company Old Vines Zinfandel

Is there any wine more American than Zinfandel? And is there anything better than following the American Dream of starting your own business and seeing it grow into a proud family legacy? With Three Wine Company, we get both!

While Zinfandel is an immigrant to America like many of us, nowhere else in the world does it fully express itself as in California. Only in California do you get the ripe density, the richness, and the powerful elegance that Zinfandel can be. It always amazes me when wine snobs start talking about great matches of terroir – Burgundy with Pinot, Bordeaux with Cabernet, Barolo with Nebbiolo, etc. – and never at the top of their minds or the tips of their tongues is Zinfandel with Dry Creek. Yet here it is, one of the greatest combinations of terroir of all time.

The winemaking team is Matt and Erin Cline. Matt, being the 8^th of 9 children, was practically born into winemaking – in 1982 he went to work for his brother at Cline Cellars, which still produces great Zinfandel to this day. There he spent 16 years building Cline Cellars into “American Winery of the Year” in both 1999 and in 2001. Erin got bit by the hospitality bug early, which eventually led her to the wine industry and Cline Cellars. There, they met and married.

And then one day the big break came – Matt and Erin founded their own winery in 2001, Trinitas Cellars. By 2006 it was a smashing success and they were able to sell the winery and brand. But not a couple to rest on their laurels, they went back to Matt’s wine-growing roots and founded Three Wine Company, focused on Zinfandel and the Zinfandel family of varieties. That was 2008, and they never looked back.

And here is one gorgeous bottle of Zinfandel:

Practically an explosion of red and black fruits comes from the glass: ripe blackberries, boysenberries, dark bramble fruit and black cherries are all present in the dense mélange of flavors in the 2016 Three Wine Company Old Vines Zinfandel. The palate is soft and luxurious, round with a smooth and gorgeous finish where black cherries, espresso and baking spices accompany the full mouthfeel. Being from 2016, it’s had plenty of time to develop in the bottle, and practically bounds out of the glass with its bold fruit-driven character. It is a perfect partner to the upcoming Thanksgiving meal – rounding out the richness of the gravy, the piquant character of the cranberry sau“`8i9ce and perfectly complimenting the mildness of the turkey.

Matt and Erin were supposed to visit us here in Milwaukee on March 19 and give a full presentation of all their wonderful wines. But, you all know what happened. Instead, Matt ended up offering us one heck of a deal on this old vine Zinfandel. We saved it for Thanksgiving, knowing it would be the perfect pairing partner. Enjoy.