Cliff Family 2021 "The Climber" Red   

2021 Cliff Family “The Climber” Red Wine, Valle de Soto Vineyard, Oak Knoll, Napa Valley
San Francisco Wine Panel Score 93+ Points
The rather dramatic bottling is impressively ripe and notably rich to the nose, which layers a veneer of expansive red fruit above lots of oaky spice. Those aromas, both darkly rich and piquantly fresh, play out as a medley of dark sour cherry, raspberry, pomegranate syrup, cedar, baking spice and star anise. A bit of airing makes things both luxuriously fruity-rich and attractively spicy on the palate, where the contrast between toasty spice, piquant zest and jammy fruit finds a surprising harmony and impressive focus, and the eminently dinner-worthy finish proves to be extremely long. A terrific value, it could prove a near ideal companion to Prime Rib or braised short ribs. 788 cases produced.