Bring energy to your holiday entertaining with these wines from Clif Family.
The Clif Bar was launched in 1992 and even then, Gary and Kit envisioned a more sustainable model for business, one in which organic farming and ingredients played central roles. In 2004 the Clif Family Farm and Winery began as a way to connect with the family.
What started as a small garden is now a fully operational farm with 90 acres of estate vineyards in Napa Valley’s famed Oak Knoll and Howell Mountain districts. Nine different grape varieties are grown; the vineyards are certified organic and Napa Green-certified.
With a group of friends and wine lovers, we recently uncorked six current Clif Family releases:
- Unoaked Chardonnay, 2023, Oak Knoll
- Rte Blanc Sauvignon Blanc, 2023, Napa Valley
- Reyna Noriega White Blend, 2023, Oak Knoll
- Rosé of Grenache, 2023, Mendocino County
- Gary's Improv Zinfandel, 2023, Oak Knoll
- Reyna Noriega Red Blend, 2022, Oak Knoll
We opted for a casual tasting with various charcuterie and appetizers rather than a sit-down meal. The unoaked Chardonnay was our arrival wine. It struck just the right chord, with flavors of pear and apricot as we toasted the evening’s fun.
The next two whites were accompanied by homemade sourdough bread with dipping sauces, cheese, sausage, and homemade guacamole. The Rte Blanc delivers Sauvignon Blanc goodness sans the jarring acidity of New Zealand versions. This wine has notes of white blossom, lemongrass, and oodles of minerality.
Reyna Noriega is a visual artist, designer, and author. Her work centers on women of color and is designed to instill hope, healing, and pride. In collaboration with Clif, two special blends are offered. The 2023 white blend is 60% Viognier and 40% Chardonnay. The tropical vibes of Viognier fill the palate with tangerine while the full and round flavors hint at white blossoms. This wine gets six months in neutral oak.
For our reds, we had stuffed mushrooms, meatballs, brownies and chocolate. The Rosé of Grenache was the only wine not from Napa (well, we did slip in a seventh wine. More about that later). The rosé hails from Mendocino County and is pale pink with notes of strawberry and watermelon.
Gary’s Improv Zinfandel comes from the winery’s new Valle Di Sotto vineyard and features a 7% splash of Petite Sirah. This was an excellent pick with our brownies. The tannins are restrained with fruit-driven notes of blackberry accented with cooking spice.
The 2022 red Reyna Noriega collaboration wine is 49% Zinfandel, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petite Sirah, and 5% Malbec. The Zin provides a nice jammy note to this medium-bodied wine and Cabernet provides depth. There are notes of plum and strawberry. The aging is 18 months in 20% new oak. This is a delightful limited production (382 cases) wine.
As our crowd drifted to the comfortable seating and conversation ensued, we had time for just one more wine. Before our soiree began, I had selected a bottle and placed it anonymously in a “number 7” blind-tasting bag. It was now time for that seventh wine.
To close our evening I decanted and then poured the 2012 Rotie Cellars Northern Blend from Washington State. This winery focuses on Rhone-style wines. The Northern Blend is 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier and appears to be at its peak. This wine was profoundly marvelous. I picked it up at the winery tasting room while visiting Walla Walla. It has meaty dark fruits with a nice thread of minerality and a long silken finish.
Enjoy the holiday season.
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