Cline 2023 Seven Ranchlands Merlot Sonoma County 750ml

Fred Cline grew up on his grandfather's farm in Oakley in the late 1960s, learning old-world farming from Valeriano Jacuzzi — one of the seven Jacuzzi brothers who pioneered American aviation and water pumps, and who passed to his grandson a deeply rooted understanding of the land. Fred never lost that connection. In 1993, he and his wife Nancy moved the winery to a 350-acre ranch in Carneros, the coolest and most fog-influenced corner of Sonoma County, and began planting what would become Cline Family Cellars — one of California's most versatile and most consistently value-forward wine estates.

Seven Ranchlands takes its name from the seven ranches and vineyards Cline farms throughout Northern California — and from the seven Cline children who are committed to carrying on the family's passion for winemaking and conscientious stewardship of the land. It is the estate's most widely available tier, drawing from a broad selection of Sonoma County vineyards across Carneros, the Petaluma Gap, and the Sonoma Coast — each terroir contributing a specific quality to the final blend. Bright acidity and depth of flavor are the stated winemaking priorities for every Seven Ranchlands wine.

The 2023 Merlot is well-balanced and genuinely approachable — notes of Santa Rosa plum, chocolate, and dried herbs with a velvety mouthfeel and luscious tannin that make this an immediately rewarding, food-friendly Sonoma red. The wine earned a Silver Medal at the Sommeliers Choice Awards. Farmed using Cline's Green String sustainable methods — an awareness of bringing interconnected systems into harmony, in the family's own words — this is a straightforwardly satisfying California Merlot from a family winery with four decades of Sonoma County experience behind it.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Cline Family Cellars was founded in 1982 by Fred and Nancy Cline in Oakley, California, before relocating in 1993 to its current home at 24737 Arnold Drive in Sonoma — a 350-acre ranch in the Carneros AVA where the J. Poppe Vineyard, planted in 1989, anchors the estate's vine holdings. Fred Cline was among the original Rhône Rangers — the group of California winemakers who championed Rhône varieties in the American market — planting Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne alongside the more commercially conventional Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Today the family farms vineyards across Sonoma County, including Carneros, the Petaluma Gap, and the Sonoma Coast, under their Green String sustainable farming program — a commitment to natural and sustainable methods that reflects what the family describes as an awareness of bringing interconnected systems into harmony.

The Seven Ranchlands collection draws from this broad network of seven ranches and vineyards across Northern California, blending diverse terroir expressions into wines designed for versatility and consistency. The Merlot's sourcing spans Sonoma County's range of growing environments, combining the coolness and fog influence of Carneros and the Petaluma Gap with the warmer inland sites that contribute richness and plum character. Production emphasizes bright acidity and depth of flavor as the primary quality markers — a balance that keeps the wine food-friendly and genuinely approachable without sacrificing character.

Critics Reviews

Sommeliers Choice Awards — Silver Medal

Wine Enthusiast 89 Points: "Aromas of spicy cherry, black plum, licorice and cocoa powder drive the nose of this Merlot, while the palate delivers flavors of baked raspberry tart, rhubarb, toasted nuts and dark cocoa with grippy tannins and a dry finish."

Cline Family Cellars official tasting notes:
"This delicious and well-balanced Seven Ranchlands Merlot wine will go great with medium-bodied fare from spaghetti to roast beef. It has notes of Santa Rosa plum, chocolate, and dried herbs. With a velvety mouthfeel, and luscious tannin, this is a wine that will please everyone who tries it!"

Tasting Profile

Nose
Deep ruby in the glass. Santa Rosa plum leads the aromatic profile with vivid, fresh dark-fruit richness — the Carneros and Sonoma Coast sourcing's most directly fruit-expressive contribution. Chocolate adds warm secondary depth. Dried herbs add a savory, slightly earthy quality that prevents the nose from reading as simply sweet. Black cherry rounds out the fruit with additional dark-fruit complexity.

Palate
Velvety and well-balanced — the most specifically and the most consistently noted palate quality in every description of this wine. Luscious tannins carry the fruit-forward character without aggression or dryness. The plum and chocolate mid-palate is generous and approachable, with the bright acidity that Cline specifically prioritizes in the Seven Ranchlands program providing just enough structure to make the wine food-friendly rather than simply soft.

Finish
Clean and satisfying, with the plum and dried herb character lingering at the close. Luscious and balanced — genuinely drinkable now with a wide range of food pairings.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Spaghetti and pasta with tomato-based sauces — the producer's own first recommendation
• Roast beef
• Grilled chicken
• Pizza
• Mild cheeses