Clif Family Winery Gary's Improv Zinfandel 2007 Front Label
Clif Family Winery Gary's Improv Zinfandel 2007 Front Label

Winemaker Notes

Our 2007 Zinfandel comes from a famed 15-year-old dry-farmed vineyard located on an alluvial fan just north of St. Helena. The vineyard has many rounded river cobbles with good soil drainage. The fruit comes from three different blocks within the vineyard, each with different rootstock.

Enticing aromas of brambly blackberry and cherry greet the nose and feature a hint of spice with floral back notes, as ripe flavors of blackberry jam greet the palate. The fruit forward tannins and structured acidity of this wine deliver ripe red cherry to the mid palate as notes of spice commingle for a long finish.

Professional Ratings

  • 89
    Intricate flavors of blackberries, cherries, raspberries and honey-nut granola mark this deliciously dry wine, spiced with exotic cinnamon, star anise and pepper. It’s very good, although it could have a firmer structure. Ready now.
Clif Family Winery

Clif Family Winery

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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.

CFWIMPROV_2007 Item# 106173