One of the great historic Napa estates, Clos du Val was founded in 1972 and their winemaker, John Goelet, was one of the pioneering French winemakers to come to the Napa Valley. Over time the reputation of the winery gained national attention and Clos Du Val was one of the wines included in the famed Judgment of Pairis tasting of 1976. The winery began to expand their vineyard holdings, from 150 acres to star and 180 acres later that were purchased in the Carneros AVA.
They now produce several single vineyard wines, as that program began with their 2013 vintage. I had the chance to review several of their new single vineyard wines, all sourced from their estate Hirondelle Vineyard in the Stags Leap District and these wines were outstanding across the board. The 2016 Clos du Val ‘Hirondelle Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 93) is wonderfully balanced and poised with good range and a lovely texture. Even more impressive was the 2016 Clos du Val ‘Three Graces’ Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 95) which is a dense, monster of a wine that has great range from blue fruits to deep dark fruits and wonderful opulence. Learn more about this historic Napa winery at https://www.closduval.com Here are the beautiful new wines by Clos uu Val.
2016 Clos du Val ‘Estate’ Cabernet Franc- Sourced from the ‘Hirondelle Vineyard’ in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley, the ‘Estate’ Cabernet Franc opens with intense Asian spice aromatics that mingle with shades of milk chocolate, cassis and tar that take their shape in the glass. The palate is plush, delivering a soft texture and wonderful brightness. Racy acidity runs through the core of dark fruits with chocolate and smoky undertones on the palate. The long finish lingers. This is simply marvelous in its youth and will continue to provide drinking enjoyment for the next fifteen years. Drink 2019-2033- 92
2016 Clos du Val ‘Hirondelle Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2016 Clos du Val ‘Hirondelle Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 21 months in 100% New French Oak before bottling. Needing an hour decant to be fully aroused, the wine slowly begins to unveil rich aromas of tar, creme de cassis, Turkish coffee and shades of red bell pepper that march in line in the glass. The palate is both decadent and well-structured, offering a hedonistic bent with a rich core of dark fruits that mingle with minerals, black tea and espresso bean flavors. A delight to savor in its youth, the 2016 Clos Du Val ‘Hirondelle Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon will cellar well for decades to come. Drink 2019-2038- 93
2016 Clos du Val ‘Three Graces’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2016 Clos du Val ‘Three Graces’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a simply marvelous effort by this estate first started in the early 1970s. A blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with small portions Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc from their estate Hirondelle Vineyard, the wine begins with intense potpourri and exotic spices that mingle with a deep core of dark and blue fruits on the nose. The palate is plush, dense and seductive, offering intense blackberry pie, blueberry compote, licorice and dusty terroir flavors that combine with the lovely sense of minerality. While this preserves good opulence, there is a wonderful sense of balance and tension that runs through the core fo the wine. Gorgeous now in its youth, the ‘Three Graces’ will provide drinking enjoyment for the next twenty plus years. Drink 2019-2040- 95