2013 Three Wine Company Established 1885 | Old-Vine Richness, Power, and Energy

The 2013 Three Wine Company Established 1885 displays deep inky ruby/black. Lifted aromas of crushed blackberries, cherry liqueur, thyme, and violets. While Richly decadent but with a vibrant core of acidity.  As a result keeping the palate fresh with flavors of wild berries, plums, spice-box, and dried herbs.  Finally, the chewy tannins provide a structured backbone to the long and layered finish. Drink now – 2030.  Another exciting wine from Matt Cline.

Red Wine Gems Under $35

The “Established 1885” comes from Robert Parker’s “Greatest vintage in 37 years.  Cline blends the spicy and aromatic Zinfandel grown in the deep sands of the Evangelho Vineyard with Carignane from the Lucchesi Vineyard and Mataro from the Spinelli Vineyard.  Mataro goes as Monastrell in Spain and Mourvèdre in France.  Also a major component of the legendary wines of Bandol in the South of France.  Not to mention Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Most of all, supplying the 2013 Three Wine Company Established 1885 with beautiful red fruit and herbaceousness.

Powerhouse Unique Red Blend

Turley, T-Vine, Hess, and Bedrock Wine Co. What’s the connection they all share? A zealot-like dedication to making powerhouse reds from the most storied vineyards in the Golden State.  While vines that Matt Cline has helped save from county bulldozers. Hence, the 2013 Three Wine Company Established 1885 is drawn from three of the oldest sites in California’s Contra Costa County: Evangelho, Spinelli, and Lucchesi.

While all of these parcels are decades into their second century.  And all have served as sources of Matt’s single-vineyard masterworks. The combination of Zinfandel, Mataro, and Carignane in “Established 1855” come together in the kind of black-fruited wine that only vines of advanced age can produce.  Consequently, a gem that boasts deep concentration balanced by scintillating natural acidity. Released at $40, and only $30 thanks to our rock-solid relationship with Matt.

Winemaker Matt Cline

When talking to winemaker Matt Cline, it’s tough to keep the conversation focused on one specific wine. That’s because Matt knows more about —and has done more with —sites that are so deeply woven into California’s long grape-growing history.  So to tell the story of a bottling out of its historical context would be all but impossible.

Yet none of Matt’s wines is steeped in more history than “Established 1885.  Not only do all three vineyard sites reach back into the 19th century.   But the blend of Zinfandel, Carignane, and Mataro is itself a reflection of the varieties that dominated the landscape during the California wine industry’s early days.  Rather, the fact that these vineyards are still thriving today is a testament to the wisdom and industriousness of the Portuguese and Italian immigrants who planted them by labor-intensive trial and error.