2015 Three Wine Company Zinfandel Evangelho Vineyard Contra Costa County 750 ml

Matt Cline’s Most Sought-After Zin

Matt Cline’s Three Wine Company wines boast more 5-star ratings on Wine Access than almost any other wine we’ve ever offered. Cline’s Evangelho vineyard has become one of the most-recognized and sought-after fruit sources from Contra Costa County where vines planted in 1885—you read that right—have attracted a “who’s who” of old vine Zinfandel: Morgan Twain-Peterson MW (of Bedrock), Turley, Ravenswood, Paul Draper (Ridge), and Neyers—to name a few. The tiny, concentrated berries infused with old-vine vigor that are harvested off Evangelho are the cream of the crop. Matt’s 2015 Evangelho earned a 94-point Editors' Choice award from Wine Enthusiast, which called it “extremely ripe, rich and seductive,” with “a gorgeous sense of concentration,” revealing “waves of deep blackberry and blueberry, with a long, lingering finish.” Elsewhere $36, today just $24 per bottle.

It was nothing short of a crime against wine: A decade ago, a clueless east Bay Area city invoked eminent domain and tore out four acres of Frank Evangelho’s ancient vines to make way for a sewer pipe. Piling on the insults, the city paid Evangelho a paltry $1.50 per vine, and in the end, the city’s project was never even realized. Four acres of century-old vines at the Evangelho Vineyard were gone forever — and for nothing. Years later, after Frank gave a speech at a local historical society, a political candidate went out of her way to apologize to Frank, telling him that she had no idea how historic his vineyard was.

Fortunately, California’s finest winemakers know. Matt Cline immediately knew what he had found when, fresh out of UC Berkeley and Cal Davis, he first encountered the ancient Evangelho Vineyard in 1982. He inked a grape contract on the spot. A few years later, Joel Peterson at Ravenswood, Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon, and Paul Draper at Ridge Vineyards would become enchanted by the old vines of Contra Costa. More recently, believers like Morgan Twain-Peterson MW, Turley, and Neyers have all turned to Evangelho’s heritage varieties.

The vines at Evangelho remain on their own roots, having survived phylloxera because the pest cannot survive in sandy soils. Despite the dry climate, the vines have never been irrigated, and instead thrive by digging 40 daunting feet through alluvial sand to the water below. Because the vines, and the vineyard itself, have proven to be such survivors, the legend of Evangelho grows. And so does the waiting list for its fruit.

As one who recognized Evangelho’s value long ago, Matt Cline is always at the front of the line. Never seeking the limelight, Matt instead focuses on fashioning some of the greatest old-vine wines in California. His 2015 Three Wine Company Zinfandel Evangelho Vineyard, which earned a glowing 94-point score from Wine Enthusiast, is a gorgeously concentrated, spicy, and lively Zin that represents the best of California winemaking, and winegrowing history. Matt is good enough to reserve some of every vintage for Wine Access, but we never take his generosity for granted. Don’t miss out on this stellar wine.