Clif Family Winery The Climber Red Blend 2009
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Our Climber Red brings together our favorite varietals to create a versatile, food-friendly wine that unveils new aromas and flavors with each sip. Fermented separately and then blended prior to bottling, each varietal component adds its own special characteristic to the wine – jammy fruit from the Zinfandel, smoky meat characters from the Syrah, juiciness and deep ruby color from the Petite Sirah and structure from the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. the fruit comes from sustainably farmed vineyards located in Mendocino and Lodi.
Classic Zinfandel aromas of dark cherry and spice intermingle with notes of blackberry pie and a slight note of pepper on the nose. Flavorful layers of brambly blackberry fruit, red currant and juicy, ripe plum greet the palate and lead to a well structured mouthfeel featuring a long fruit Filled Finish with soft, subtle tannins.
The 2009 Climber Red is a pizza wine at heart but can hold its own with any red meat, spicy red sauce pasta or hearty fish dish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a very good wine. Made from Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Syrah, from around the state, it's absoluutely dry, rich in tannic structure, and complex, with cherry, berry, tobacco, cedar and spice flavors. An excellent and versatile food wine, at a great price.
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2010-
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Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford began their love of food and wine with cycling adventures through Italy where long days of cycling would end in leisurely evenings of good wine, food and hospitality. As great lovers of food, wine and adventure, Gary and Kit sought to bring these memorable experiences to their Napa Valley home.
Today, Clif Family winemaker, Laura Barret, makes wines from grapes grown on our Howell Mountain estate and from local Napa Valley and Mendocino growers while Executive Chef John McConnell has created a selection of artisan food products that pair perfectly with our wines. At our Napa Valley Tasting Room and Bruschetteria Food Truck, our wine and food are paired to create exciting tasting experiences.
With a focus on sustainability, Clif Family wines are primarily made from organically grown grapes or sourced from growers with a focus on practices that care for the earth. Our Howell Mountain farm and vineyards are CCOF certified organic and our artisan food products are made from organic ingredients.
“We’re working to run a different kind of company: The kind of place we’d want to work, that makes the kind of food we’d like to eat, and that strives for a healthier, more sustainable world – the kind of world we’d like to pass on to our children.”- KIT CRAWFORD
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.