Just off the main drag in St. Helena, you’ll find a sun-drenched patio, a wildly popular food truck, and wine and cuisine experiences that feel more inviting than they are performative. Welcome to Clif Family Winery—a Napa Valley standout where flavor, sustainability, and laid-back luxury go hand in hand.
You may know Clif Family from their energy bars (yes, those Clif Bars), but don’t let that fool you. Founders Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford have created something deeply rooted in a wine country ethos of organic vineyards, a working farm, and a commitment to B Corp values—but with a distinctly Clif-style twist: welcoming, unpretentious, and subtly visionary.
Enoteca: Elevated Pairings with a View
The crown jewel of the Clif Family experience is the Enoteca, a private tasting salon with panoramic views of the Mayacamas Mountains. On cooler days, a fireplace keeps things cozy. On warmer days, the sliding doors open to the Napa sunshine and to a furnished terrace that invites lingering. Here, the Pasto e Vino Lunch Experience ($195 per person) turns a wine tasting into a genuine culinary event. It’s five courses, all seasonal, all rooted in what’s growing at the Clif Family’s own organic farm just a few miles away. Clif Family executive chef Magnus Young details each course: perhaps a roasted tomato gazpacho, followed by a fresh tomato and cucumber salad. The main might be a succulent coq au vin. Then there’s a cheese course, and dessert. (On this visit a rich chocolate pot de crème.) Each dish arrives with a story as told by Chef Magnus, and each is paired with small-lot wines from the winery’s estate vineyards on Howell Mountain and in the Oak Knoll District, made by winemaker Laura Barrett who joined the team in 2014 and has guided their vintages ever since. (She’s a trained chemist with a masters in viticulture and enology from UC Davis.) This is slow dining at its best—thoughtful, generous, and wonderfully unhurried.
Farm-Forward Brunch (and Beyond)
If you’re more of a brunch-with-a-wine-pairing type, the Farm to Brunch Experience ($150 per person) delivers a different kind of indulgence. Offered daily at 10:00 a.m. with seasonal menu shifts, this tasting layers together a tower of individual, farm-inspired dishes, mostly sourced from the farm. Think: fresh biscuits with bacon, hen eggs with caviar, and Zinfandel-poached pears over yogurt with tarragon. Barrett’s selections accompany each plate, with pairings that feel playful but precise. It’s Napa brunch, elevated.
Rifugio: Casual Tastings with Clif Character
For a more relaxed tasting, Rifugio is Clif Family’s approachable tasting room right on Highway 29. “Rifugio” means refuge, and that’s exactly what it offers—a laid-back space where you can sample organic wines, nosh on seasonal small bites, and try some of the Clif Family’s housemade organic preserves, olive oils, and honey.
A Food Truck, But Make It Napa
Now let’s talk about The Bruschetteria, Clif Family’s signature food truck—and the first of its kind at a Napa winery. This is full-on, chef-driven cuisine—seasonal, organic, and ambitious. Think truffle aioli, farm-fresh toppings, and flavors that change with the harvest. It’s a lunch stop for many locals, a destination for valley visitors, and worth a stop no matter the occasion.
Beyond the Glass: A Winery with a Mission
While it would be easy to focus only on the wine and food (both of which are outstanding), Clif Family is equally defined by its values. As one of only three Certified B Corp wineries in Napa, their operation is designed around environmental stewardship, fair labor practices, and giving back to the community. This isn’t marketing fluff—it’s the engine behind everything they do, from composting practices to solar power and regenerative farming.
You can taste the difference in the glass—but you can also feel it in the experience. Whether you’re on the terrace lingering over your second glass, enjoying the luxury of gourmet, paired cuisine, or grabbing bruschetta to-go, Clif Family invites anyone and everyone to relax and enjoy the moment.
Can’t Get to Napa? Let Napa Come to You
If you can’t make the trip in person (though you really should), Clif Family’s Wine Drop subscription brings the experience to your doorstep. The wines are organic, the selection is flexible, and unlike most wine clubs, you actually get to choose what’s in your box and how often it arrives. Throw in some of their small-batch jams, nut mixes or honey and olive oil, and you’ve got a pretty solid stand-in for a weekend in wine country.
Final Sip
In a region where wine can sometimes take itself a little too seriously, Clif Family Winery & Farm is a refreshing exception. Come for the wine, stay for the coq au vin—or mushroom bruschetta—and leave with a deeper appreciation for what sustainable Napa Valley hospitality can be.
Photos courtesy of Clif Family Winery & Farm