Farmhouse Wines Review

Farmhouse Wines comes from Cline Family Cellars in Sonoma, California, USA.

In Petaluma, California, at the Green String Farm, there is a school house that serves as a library for students learning about the Green String method of sustainable farming.

The Green String Farm and the Green String method of sustainable farming was founded in 2003 by Fred Cline (of Cline Cellars) and Bob Cannard.

This method of farming is noted to be used by Cline Cellars.

In this two for one review, I’m going to cover Farmhouse White and Farmhouse Red, with each bottle label displaying a picture of the above-mentioned school house at Green String Farm.

For more about these two wines, check out the Farmhouse Wines website.

Samples of both wines received for review purposes.

Farmhouse Wines White

From the bottle:

Farmhouse white opens with bright flavors of tangerine, lemon curd and peach.  The finish of this medium-bodied wine is soft and lingering.

This white wine blend has quite the composition of varietals!

Here’s the breakdown:

• Palomino – 41%
• Muscat Canelli – 25%
• Roussanne – 22%
• Viognier – 5%
• Riesling – 1%

Additionally, Farmhouse Wines White was cold-fermented in stainless steel tanks and was filtered only lightly after fermentation to preserve the wine’s flavors and varietal characteristics.

Appearance

In the glass, this wine is very pale golden straw in color.  Actually, it’s probably one of the least colored wines I’ve ever reviewed.

Legs were quick falling and not very numerous.

Aroma

On the nose you get light tropical fruits with just the slightest whiff of honey as suggested by the tasting notes.

Overall, a delicate and enjoyable aroma with no lingering whiff of alcohol.

Farmhouse Wines White alcohol content 12.5% by volume, per the bottle.

Taste

At first sip, it reminded me of a very mild sweet tart candy, with the “tart” being a very subtle lime flavor.

That was followed by tasty, drinkable flavors of mild honeydew melon along with a small bit of acidity.

I liked it!

Finish

The wine finished very clean and bright, with a medium finish duration.

I also noted very mild tannins that settled all over the mouth.

Overall Opinion

Overall, I was quite impressed with this wine!

I found it to be a very enjoyable, elegant, light bodied wine that would be perfect to bring to a warm-weather dinner or outing.

Farmhouse Wines White price $15.00.

Suggested Food Pairing

Because this wine is quite light and elegant, I’d suggest a light-flavored and simple cheese plate.

Definitely don’t go with any strongly flavored cheeses as it would easily overwhelm this wine.

Farmhouse Wines Red

Following my tasting of the white, I transitioned to Farmhouse’s California red blend.

From the bottle:

Farmhouse red is well-balanced with bright acidity and flavors of cherry, plum and savory pepper which leads to a plush, ripe, full finish.

Again, the varietals were numerous.  However, the composition percentages were not provided.

With that said, here are the varietals that make up Farmhouse Wines Red:

• Zinfandel
• Syrah
• Carignane
• Mourvedre
• Petite Sirah

Appearance

I’d describe this wine’s color as medium dark and typical for a red blend.  Think ruby red.

Though a bit dark, some light does make its way through the liquid.  There’s also a lovely red meniscus in the glass.

Legs are aplenty and slow to fall.

Aroma

Overall, this one wasn’t very aromatic.

I noted subdued red fruits (perhaps black berry) and a light note of candy apple.

I disagreed with tasting notes presuming a black cherry nose.  If it was there, it was hard to pick out.

I did enjoy the fact that there was little to no sting of alcohol.

Farmhouse Wines Red alcohol content 14.0% by volume, per the bottle.  Nicely managed!

At this point in my tasting, I jotted down the following note:  “Feels like a theme of ‘subtlety’ is developing.”  I started wondering if this wine was going to be a wash out.

However, as you’ll see next, the taste comes at you with a nice pop!

Taste

Boom!  Toasty mocha.  A pleasant surprise given the subtlety of the aroma.

I also discovered black cherry, plum and a hint of black pepper.  To be clear, you really have to look for the pepper, but it’s in there.

Full bodied and enjoyable!

Mouthfeel and Tannins

Farmhouse Red’s mouthfeel was milky with even tannins settling nicely on the palate.

Finish

Its finish was rich, dark and lingering with little to no bitterness noted.

Overall Opinion

Overall, I found Farmhouse Red to be an enjoyable, rich and bold flavored wine that catches you by surprise after the mildness of the aroma.

Nicely crafted!

Farmhouse Wines Red price $15.00.

Overall, very good and on par for the price.

Of the two, my favorite was the white.  Only because it steals the show with its elegance and refinement.

Both are great under $20 wines.

Suggested Food Pairing

The red is easily a smooth lush sipper on its own.

However, pairing it with grilled meats seems like the obvious choice to me.