smooth and spicy

The 2006 wasn't bad; nice to try something different. Plenty of dark fruit and spice and hints of smoke and toasted oak.

Feeling adventurous, I was browsing in the "Other Red" aisle. I knew that Cline has made some killer wines in the past, so I thought I'd give the "Ancient Vines" Carignane a try. This is not one of them! On the label it describes it as a blending grape. It obviously is the wine used to "thin out" more powerful ones. We found the nose lacking any real character. Maybe some smoke and oak. The flavor was, basically, that of a fairly "neutral" red wine. Not bad, but not bold either. There was the slightest of hints of clove, cinnamon and bitter cocoa. The finish was short and tart. It won't hurt you, but all in all not a very good value.