Wine Tasting Notes

APPEARANCE:

Nice ruby color, though not too dark; looks juts like grape juice, which I guess it is!

ON THE NOSE:

This is fun, different, and for that it is well appreciated by Darcey and me. Definitely some nice fruit coming through – medium to dark cherry primarily – as one would expect from a California red, but also some other stuff that one would not expect from a California Syrah blend. The blend itself is pretty interesting, making this wine more enjoyable simply in the “hmmmm” factor. The fruit also has a watermelon aspect, but beyond fruit this red carries with it scents of licorice, green pepper, clean motor oil, green olives, and what I can only term old-world funkiness, more out of my inability to decipher the specific elements that make up this flavor-profile; it is that thing I smell in many of those French wines that I love so much, hence: old-world funk!

ON THE PALATE:

Refreshing and clean, actually, with very little tannin, which is surprising here. Don’t misunderstand me, tannin is a wonderful aspect of wine, oh-so loved by us, but here, on a hot summer day, this red is cool and uplifting precisely because of the lack of astringency, yet typical acidity. Your palate is almost tricked into thinking this is a very nice white wine, but of course you know it is not because of the complex of tastes; this is my (Cliff’s) impression, anyway. After the initial acidic zest there is a baby-powder freshness that permeates, sweet and dry and relaxing, with fruit following, finished by savory vegetable flavors slipping down the sides of the tongue, with a hint of old-world funkiness that was present on the nose. The finish is long on the tongue with that bell-pepper feel and taste while the back of the throat is numbed a bit by the acidity that really powers this Red Truck all the way down the highway. Once again Darcey and Cliff agree: we like this wine; it’s another winner for the price and a great contender for a summertime weekday wine at only $7.99. I sure wish this were available locally! The only caveat is that it’s life of complexity didn’t last too long, for after six hours it had passed its peak and, while still good, was no longer as good as other $8 wines we have had recently. Still a good wine, of course, but after letting it breathe for one to two hours you may want to consume this wine within three hours, at least that was our experience.

(Click here for an explanation of our ratings ...)

Our Rating: 88

Would we drink it again?

Yes, this was a nice change from so many other reds.

Would we buy it again?

Perhaps, though only perhaps, and still worth a thumbs-up here. We are learning that there are many, many good wines at this $8 price-point, but this one was different enough to warrant another go!

About the Winery: Red Truck Wines

"The idea for Red Truck Wines began when Fred and Nancy Cline of Sonoma, California's Cline Cellars fell in love with a painting of a classic, old red truck, purchasing it at an auction benefiting the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. Created by internationally renowned Sonoma-based artist Dennis Ziemienski, the light-filled painting of a vintage truck set against a typical Sonoma landscape of soft, golden hills, bright blue sky and cotton ball clouds seemed destined to become a sensational new wine label with universal appeal.

Red Truck wine, an exhilarating blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Mourvedre and Grenache, was introduced in 2002. Initially drawn to the vibrant label, wine lovers quickly discovered the wine, made by talented winemaker Charlie Tsegeletos, and kept coming back for more.

Today our Red, White and Pink Truck Wines are being driven by wine industry veterans Dan Leese and Doug Walker who purchased the brand from the Clines in 2005. Leese and Walker, with their families and an energetic team of wine professionals, have introduced 6 new models to the Red, White and Pink Truck line: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Pink. Charlie Tsegeletos continues as winemaker, puttin' the pedal to the metal to make bold, bright wines that rev up the palate and make the engine purr.

Red, White and Pink Truck Wines deliver a different kind of wine experience. Not too serious, yet full of bold, classic style. Wines sure to make you smile."

About Sonoma County

Sonoma County is a very important California wine-producing county situated north of San Francisco and west of the Napa Valley. Although the neighboring Napa Valley has dominated the region in terms of recognition and attracting many major wineries, Sonoma has made tremendous progress since the early 1970s and has now carved out significant recognition in its own right. Sonoma's winemaking history goes back to the 1820s, when the Sonoma Missions vineyards were planted by Franciscan monks. Unfortunately, they planted mission grapes, which don't produce high-quality table wines. In the 1850s and 1860s, Agoston Haraszthy (who established the original Buena Vista Winery in 1857) expanded the effort by trying to determine which varieties did best in various California areas. To this end, he imported thousands of cuttings of about 300 different grape varieties. He planted many of these in Sonoma County and sold the rest to others around the state. Like much of California, the influx of phylloxera in the 1890s and prohibition from 1920 to 1933 severely curtailed the growth of Sonoma County's wine business. It wasn't until the Napa Valley boom started in the mid- to late-1960s that Sonoma County was reenergized as a top winemaking region. It began converting from grapes that had been used primarily for jug wines — like alicante bouschet, carignane and petite sirah — and now leads Napa County in acreage for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. Sonoma has built a solid reputation for wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. In 2000, there were over 55,000 planted acres, almost 65 percent to red varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red followed by Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Zinfandel. Chardonnay makes up over 80 percent of the white variety acreage. Sonoma County is quite large and has diverse climate areas ranging from Region I to Region III). Numerous AVAs have been established here since 1978, some sharing the same geographic area. In addition to belonging to the huge north coast AVA and having its own appellation Sonoma County contains the following AVAs: Alexander Valley, Carneros, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek, Knights Valley Northern Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County Green Valley, Sonoma Mountain and Sonoma Valley. A number of wineries are permitted to use any of five or six different AVA designations for the same wine. The Northern Sonoma AVA begins around the city of Sebastopol in the south and goes up to the Mendocino County line in the north and covers the smaller viticultural areas of Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek, Green Valley-Sonoma, Knight's Valley, and Russian River Valley. Sonoma County has over 175 wineries, which ranks it second only to Napa County in the United States for number of wineries.

cliffordjames.org

Cline Red Truck 2004