The old vine, dry-farmed Cherry Vineyard provides the bright fruit for this time-honored LC Blend. Since his days in college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Matt has used fruit from this vineyard to craft a wine that is a love letter to a property that is an integral part of Linne Calodo’s history. Yielding between ½ to 1 ton per acre, these grapes pack the concentrated flavors of cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and the liqueurs that inherently follow.  Named after Elmer and Mary Cherry and planted in 1977, this dry-farmed, head-trained zinfandel vineyard continuously produces an intense fruit that is blended with Syrah and other varietals for balance.  

2019

Named after Elmer and Mary Cherry and planted in 1977, this dry-farmed, head-trained vineyard has been a part of the Linne Calodo canon since the inaugural vintage in 1998.  The wine explodes onto your palate with fresh, bright cherry notes that evolve into layers of cassis, Moroccan tea, raspberry bush, allspice, and soft earth.  The wine continues to linger in your nose and on your taste buds endlessly, and yet the bottle always seems to empty too quickly.

Decant two hours to enjoy immediately, or wait 5 to 7 years for a softer, rounder intensity, or store safely 12+ years to relish fresh cherries dissolved into earth and mushrooms.

Pairings:
Almond caramelized duck breast, pistachio-crusted pork chops, butternut squash soup, fresh goat cheese.

SOLD OUT

2018

67% Zinfandel, 28% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre

One of our most coveted blends, this vintage of Cherry Red shows slightly more restraint and structure than past vintages, while still offering the distinct and decadent flavors it is known for.  The aromatics remind one of a patisserie, trays of fresh croissants, cream puffs and clafoutis coming out of the oven, creamy and buttery pastry intermingled with the dense fruit. An elegant exposition of cherry flavors crescendo over the drinker at the first sip. On the tip of your tongue, it is the young, bright red, first fruit of the harvest. As it reaches your mid-palate, it transforms into dark and juicy peak of season black cherries, and, finally sun-dried Bing cherries linger in a seemingly never-ending finish. Hints of molten caramel brought by the American oak it aged in compliment the overall pleasure Cherry Red has to offer.  Drink it now, drink it in twenty years, this wine does not know how to disappoint.

SOLD OUT

2017

52% Zinfandel, 19% Syrah, 15% Carignan, 5% Petit Sirah, 2% Mourvèdre

Many of you have now had 19 vintages of Cherry Red. The 2017 vintage is no different. The only things that has changed over the years is the age of the vineyard and the comfortability I have in making it. I began drinking wines from Cherry Vineyard in 1992 and each and every time I eat a fresh grape from this vineyard, I’m transported back in time to the very first sip of Cherry Red Zinfandel. I have to believe that the dry farming, location, and general health of the vineyard all contribute to make a memorable wine every single year. If you love the fruit of Cherry Red, drink it within the next 4 years. Otherwise, the wine gains complexity and more earthy notes with age.

SOLD OUT

2016

52% Zinfandel, 23% Syrah, 14% Graciano, 11% Carignan

41 year old vines produce one of the most iconic wines in the Willow Creek District. Bold, ripe and fully engaged, the wine is blended for balance and is extremely limited on production, given that only 2.5 acres were planted. Aged in new and neutral American Oak puncheons. Drink, enjoy and have great conversations.

SOLD OUT

2015

70% Zinfandel, 22% Mourvèdre, 8% Syrah

Filled with voluptuous red cherry notes on the nose and palate, Cherry Red is a yearly expression of the land it comes from. Planted in 1977 and farmed without irrigation, these vines grow our smallest and perhaps most coveted Zinfandel blend. Cedar box and tobacco leaf, decadent ripe red fruit, fresh new leather and soft hints of eucalyptus converge in a wine that dances its way through your body like a silk scarf tossed in the air. Drink now through 2020.

SOLD OUT

2014

65% Zinfandel, 15% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, 3% Tannat, 2% Tempranillo

It is hard to describe a wine as decadent and alive as Cherry Red.  Big bright cherry notes, fresh and juicy with a pop of acidity, this wine leaps onto the palate.  Rich, ripe and supple, with soft molasses and raspberry marmalade linger long into the finish. Brace yourself for an explosion of flavor, not unlike jumping into a 20,000-gallon tank of down feathers. Drink now through 2018.

SOLD OUT

2013

57% Zinfandel, 28% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah

SOLD OUT

2012

67% Zinfandel, 17% Mourvèdre, 16% Syrah

Think of your best friends. That is what this bottle represents to me.  Smiley, true, entertaining, enjoyable, quirky, comedic, passionate, accepting, peaceful, intelligent, well intentioned. 373 cases produced.

SOLD OUT

2011

57% Zinfandel, 24% Syrah, 19% Mourvèdre

This is how zinfandel should be!  Gorgeous ripe fruit, dry-farmed on a steep, rocky, southwest-facing slope.   I’m not exactly sure why this tiny parcel was planted in 1977, but what a great idea it was and we are all thankful.  Zinfandel, syrah, mourvèdre. Enjoy now or cellar 5-7 years.

SOLD OUT

2010

70% Zinfandel, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah

The old vine, dry-farmed Cherry Vineyard provides the bright fruit for this time-honored LC blend. Since his days in college, Matt has used fruit from this vineyard to craft a wine that is a love letter to a property that is an integral part of Linne Calodo’s history. This vintage of Cherry Red is a true stand-alone, cocktail wine radiating with hints of mountain black cherries and gleaming satin petals. This vintage of Cherry Red is extremely limited and should be coveted as such. Drink now through 2017.

SOLD OUT

2009

62% Zinfandel, 20% Mourvèdre, 18% Syrah

Big and juicy, with a constant backbone of black cherry. When you look up zinfandel in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Cherry Red with a scratch-and-sniff next to it.

SOLD OUT

2008

58% Zinfandel, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, 7% Petite Sirah

This lush and young beauty first strikes with hints of black cherry, tar and cinnamon. Its velvet texture is packed with natural acidity and hints of smoked American wood. This wine is a dreamer and a believer all in the same glass. Dancing with a series of spins and flowing grace, Cherry Red will remind you why you fell in love with wine.

SOLD OUT

2007

64% Zinfandel, 28% Mourvèdre, 8% Syrah

For Cherry this year I used only 8% new oak to preserve the clear and fresh fruits this vineyard’s harvest had to offer. Brightly seeded fruits like cranberry, pomegranate, raspberry and cherry dominate the nose. Its creamy mouthfeel is full of flirty notes of fruit, with hints of gingerbread, coal, tar and a black pepper finish that lasts for minutes. This wine is drinkable now or can be cellared up to 3-6 years.

SOLD OUT

2006

64% Zinfandel, 18% Mourvèdre, 18% Syrah

This tiny vineyard produces some of my most memorable memories. Yielding between ½ to 1 ton per acre, these grapes pack the concentrated flavors of cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and the liqueurs that inherently follow. Being a blendster I throw in a bit of mourvèdre and syrah to round out the flavor profile. Drink now through 2015.

SOLD OUT

2005

64% Zinfandel, 28% Mourvèdre, 8% Syrah

Named after Elmer and Mary Cherry and planted in 1977, this dry-farmed, head-trained zinfandel vineyard continuously produces an intense fruit. Always really ripe and acidic, this wine boasts copious amounts of raspberry, clove and black cherry. Since 1998 we have been blending in portions of syrah and mourvèdre. The beautiful fruit flavors of Cherry red are layered and layered and leave you wishing for a bottomless bottle.

SOLD OUT

2004

58% Zinfandel, 27% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre

Named after Elmer and Mary Cherry and planted in 1977, this dry-farmed, head-trained zinfandel vineyard continuously produces an intense fruit. I first tried this wine in 1992 with the 1990 vintage and fell in love. Originally used for home winemaking and blended with petite sirah, in 1998 we decided to share it with the public. Always really ripe, always really acidic, and always really good. Since 1998 we have been blending in portions of syrah and mourvèdre. The beautiful fruit flavors of Cherry Red are layered and layered and leave you wishing for a bottomless bottle.

SOLD OUT

2003

60% Zinfandel, 25% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah

SOLD OUT

2002

60% Zinfandel, 35% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre

SOLD OUT

2001

60% Zinfandel, 25% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre

SOLD OUT

2000

60% Zinfandel, 20% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre

SOLD OUT