I truly get the fact that no one wants to be the pioneer in a ‘hood “on the cusp of gentrification.”
But Sugar, Sugar, ahh Honey, Honey.
Winemaker Matt Cline and biz-savvy wife Erin Cline were some of the first folks in, turning potential into kinetic energy with 3 Wine Company:
http://www.threewinecompany.com/
Matt works the juice. He sources some sites near, dear and clear to our particular hearts: Contra Costa County grape-er-age smack dab in Oakley.
The Cline fam has its rootstock here. This blog began as an experiment to try to figure out where these magnificent grapes went, and into whose bottles. Heaven forbid that Oakley would see a vineyard designate parcel on a wine label: Live Oak, Big Break, Bridgehead. These are all Oakley roads surrounded by 120-year-old vines.
Actually, Heaven forbade the forbidden: Cline Cellars, with its intensive holdings in the ‘hood, and hardcore brand recognition, stepped up the integrity. Highly sought-after vineyard Zins display character that I thought could only come from a Wine Spectator editor ransacking a thesaurus.
OK, so Matt at 3, after a decade, and an affinity for Oakley fruit, comes back to take a whack at Live Oak.
The charming and oh-so-knowledgeable Kelly at 3 poured Kathy and me a side-by-side of Matt’s Zinfandel from Live Oak and his Evangelho.
Folks, I wouldn’t know finesse if it punched me. Joke, that.
Matt, you must get more of that Live Oak; your take on it is stellar. Nicely done, doctor.
Wasn’t so long ago that that the Mill, trying to lure small tasting rooms into the fold, was hit or miss. Several pioneering tasting rooms, a couple of “coming soon” teasers, and a few empty storefronts. Today, there’s no room at the inn: winery outlets line the main indoor drag, and the development of phase II is actually proceeding.
Which brings us to Draconis, a new tenant just outside the building and becoming the vanguard of said second phase of Sugar Mill reno. That the wine is outrageously tasty is a bonus. Like Todd Taylor’s juice elsewhere in the building, Matt Powell’s Draconis bottlings eschew blending, opting for a 100% expression of varietal fruit. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, back at the 3 Company ranch, Matt’s 2010 Live Oak Zinfandel is an elegant counterpart to even his Evangelho Vineyard Zinfandel from up the street. Unlike his bro’s Cline Cellars bottling from the same site, this stuff demonstrates the winemaker’s touch: his take on extraction, oak treatment and ripeness are all evident. No need to take your jacket to the cleaners: nothing shakes your lapels limp on this wine.
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