What do Clif Bars and wine have in common? More than you would think, when it comes to the Clif Family Winery. I just recently received some wines from the Clif Family Winery and was taken a bit by surprise...first, by the fact that Clif made wine at all and, second, by the overall quality of the wine.
On the wine front, turns out it hasn't been long since the first Clif Family wines came to market, with the Clif Family Winery & Farm starting in 2004 and releasing their first wine in 2006. Since that time, they've increased production to about 11,000 cases and 4 different wines - The Climber White ($14), The Climber Red ($17), Gary's Improv Syrah ($35) and Kit's Killer Cab ($38). They produce 5,000 cases of the Climber series and 500 cases of the the Gary's Improv and Kit's Killer Cab. Not a bad start.
To be honest, I was a little skeptical at first and thought it was a gimmick that Clif also makes wine, but, as I read more about their overall philosophy, it started to make sense to me. From the winery: Clif Family Farm represents our commitment to organic and sustainable farming, supporting our vision of family farms, locally grown ingredients and artisan handcrafted foods...The farm is about slowing down and finding enjoyment in life's simple pleasures. We aspire to the principles of the Slow Food Movement, which believes that pleasure and quality in everyday life can be found by slowing down.
Okay, perhaps a little cliche these days to say you're sustainable and support slow food, but they back it up. As I dug deeper into the materials they sent me, I soon discovered that they hired one of my favorite Napa winemakers - Sarah Gott. Sarah is active all across the wine country, but what I know her for best is her work at Blackbird (one of my all-time favorite California wines) and Joel Gott wines (yes, that's her husband and they deliver high quality, well priced wines). Sarah is a supremely talented winemaker and picks projects that match her beliefs and her attention to the fine craft of making wine. For me, this added all the credibility I needed. Good intentions and a fabulous winemaker often create stellar results.
So, for this post, I'm only focusing on two of the wines - The Climber Red and Kit's Killer Cab.
2006 The Climber Red Wine The first thing that struck me about this wine is that it's much better balanced than I expected it to be, especially for the amount of varietals involved at 32% Zinfandel, 28% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 4% Petite Sirah. Overall, a very nice wine for $17. Good solid dark berry fruits, a little coffee and chocolate, with a nice strong finish. Definitely one of the better new sub-$20 wines I've had in a while.
What you should do: Buy it. This is a good value wine and one that's nice to have around on a weeknights or to entertain friends - you can regale them with your knowledge of how Clif isn't just about the bars.
My rating: 86
2006 Kit's Killer Cab Cabernet Sauvignon
I could tell from the start that the Kit's Killer Cab was showing something very different and much more sophisticated than The Climber. On the nose, a very nice mixture of cherry, cedar, vanilla and just a touch of Play-Doh (what can I say, I gotta call 'em like I smell 'em). A little hot on the nose, but started to mellow even after 5 minutes of sitting in the glass. Much more acidic than I expected on the mouth and nice bright cherry, blackberry and cedar notes. With a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petite Verdot and 2% Merlot, this is a big fruity red California wine, but with just enough chalk that it never goes off the deep end of fruit. Strong mid-palate and long finish, there's no mistaking this for a "petite" wine. It's big, it's fruity and worth trying. What you should do: Buy it...but, with one caveat. For me, once you get into the $30+ wine category, there are plenty of very good wines to choose from. I can think of a couple California reds that top the Kit's Killer Cab at $38, but, Kit's definitely holds its own. Worth a try, but I'll let you decide if you want to buy another bottle.
My rating: 89
For being such a young wine company, Clif Family Winery impressed me more than I expected. Good, well balanced wines at reasonable prices (especially for California), all backed up with a commitment to sustainable farming and the people who make it all happen. Add to that an incredible winemaker in Sarah Gott and Clif Family Winery will most definitely find their way through a crowded wine market in the years to come.
NOTE: the Clif Family wines were sent to me as a sample from the winery.
Gadget
Thanks for the post RJ. I saw Dr Debs write these up a while back and have the Clif Family on my watch list... I'll move it to the top now based on your review. Once I pull the trigger I'll let you know what I think!
would love to hear what you think. i was very pleasantly surprised. going to taste the kit's again tomorrow night to see if it's opened up a bit more and will let you know.
I'm a big fan of Clif bars, I hope that means I will enjoy their wines as well. Where is the winery and do they offer tastings? I'd love to give them a try.
they're in st. helena, ca. not sure if they have a tasting room, but here's contact info for them - http://www.cliffamilywinery.com/contact.html.
if you visit, would love to hear how it went.