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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 87.8 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 115 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Olivier Portet on 11/13/2020 & rated 90 points: Very pleasant. Rich flavors, ripe fruit even after all this time in the bottle. Balance of Tanins and fruit. (1301 views) | | | Tasted by IlonaN on 6/4/2019 & rated 89 points: Still alive, somewhat simple but well integrated and acidity is still ample. Bright spiced cherry fruit on nose and palate. (1836 views) | | | Tasted by Jaxon Family on 6/1/2019 & rated 93 points: Still drinking well. I do not believe it will have a much longer shelf life. Fruit was a little "stewy" at first, however after decanting it settled well. very enjoyable. (1842 views) | | | Tasted by bluetaxi on 1/15/2017 & rated 87 points: Delicious. Held up well. Still drinking fine. (3818 views) | | | Tasted by jkoenen on 10/28/2016 & rated 88 points: Fresh, tart acidity, cherry/cranberry coulis, menthol. In a lighter style, a tad simple but tasty. (3951 views) | | | Tasted by Desertcyclist on 4/30/2016 & rated 89 points: Smooth and balanced. (3990 views) | | | Tasted by BRSAustinTex on 2/21/2016 & rated 89 points: Not as bad as others have described. Still drinking well with good balance. (3849 views) | | | Tasted by WineGuyFL on 1/25/2016 & rated 87 points: Nothing to add that other recent reviewers have covered/said. (3701 views) | | | Tasted by askoje on 12/28/2015 & rated 89 points: Medium deep red. Lots of cherry fruit, black berries and graham cracker on the nose. Not very complex. With air in the glass, wine opens up with more plum and bright cherry. Palate follows the nose, everything in balance. Drinking OK now, perhaps would have been better 1-2 years ago. Certainly not worth cellaring longer. Nothing spectacular, but a solid Napa cab for itīs price point. Moderate oak and alcohol. (2327 views) | | | Tasted by macliii on 11/20/2015 & rated 88 points: Still had a few good years left in the bottle. (2172 views) | | | Tasted by Dave64 on 2/4/2015 & rated 88 points: Rich deep red colour.
Lovely cassis fruit with a longish finish.
A nice wine, but can't help thinking it's best days are behind it. (1594 views) | | | Tasted by Mennotas on 1/18/2015 & rated 90 points: Deep berry red. Charcoal, oak, cherries, dried rose petals, black currant on the nose. Unmistakeable cab sav in Bordeaux tradition. Tannins still very present. Drinks well as pop and pour. Could probably age longer. (1408 views) | | | Tasted by Chuck/Mary on 1/18/2015 & rated 85 points: A bit past its prime, but drinkable. (2208 views) | | | Tasted by WineGuyFL on 12/14/2014 & rated 88 points: Disappointing.....has gone down hill very fast. Have some left....should have been drinking this one more quickly. (2063 views) | | | Tasted by Mauest on 7/16/2014 & rated 88 points: Still a good Cab but should be drunk soon. (2746 views) | | | Tasted by Wine_lvr on 10/27/2013 & rated 87 points: This wine surprises me. It is so fast maturing and now past its peak. I am a huge California Cab lover and I like Clos du Val when they are young. But from a wine/winery with such good terrior in the Stags Leap district I would just expect more. (1555 views) | | | Tasted by dssmith on 10/15/2013 & rated 90 points: This wine is now fully mature. At 8 years it has great body and a fine balance between fruit, oak and tanin. The color was inky red. There was no bouquet. There was definite fresh fruit with significant tanin. I drank it without decanting. I suspect that it will improve greatly with a little exposure to oxygen (1483 views) | | | Tasted by invein on 6/30/2013: Clearly way past it's prime (4323 views) | | | Tasted by WineGuyFL on 6/4/2013 & rated 91 points: Bordeaux style. Structured. Dark berries with earthy tone. Seems to have enough backbone left to last a little longer than the pro reviewers say. Very good value. My fourth bottle in a case. Prior bottles have been similar. (4207 views) | | | Tasted by psusfca on 5/8/2013 & rated 85 points: Fine but nothing special. Was hoping for more from an old school California producer. Only 13.5% alcohol, which gave me high hopes. The flavors were fine but lacked complexity and depth. Soft tannins and decent fruit but not much beyond. A reasonable Cab but far from memorable. (3596 views) | | | Tasted by Wine_lvr on 3/11/2013 & rated 84 points: Starts fading and to dry out due to massive tannins. Very little fruit left. This is (was) a wine to drink young. Drink now as I doubt that it will get any better. (1672 views) | | | Tasted by aagrawal on 9/15/2012 & rated 84 points: Hints of cedary dark fruits; palate has still tannic structure, black fruits; short finish. Average. (4900 views) | | | Tasted by kmicho on 8/24/2012 & rated 95 points: Just a tremendous wine. Very complex, smooth, long on the palate. All around a quintessential Cab. Even at $34, worth every cent easily. (4190 views) | | | Tasted by Ron Felthoven on 5/29/2012 & rated 90 points: Last night we finally got around to opening the 2005 CdV Napa Valley. I was pleasantly surprised to find this wine coming across as just a baby yet. It had pretty basic plum and cassis flavors with just a hint of eucalyptus in the background and a touch of espresso. Really lovely acid provided a good zip on the finish -- like Gramercy always does. Not much tannin showing -- totally integrated. The wine says on the back label it can age from 10 - 15 years and I don't doubt it. This was a lovely, pure expression of a cabernet blend that was really enjoyable to sip and contemplate. It didn't have a ton of complexity but more may come as it ages. Pretty much what I was expecting in a best case scenario, but no, not a diamond in the rough. (3385 views) | | | Tasted by redman77 on 10/31/2011 & rated 85 points: PNP for friends that were treat or treating...better than earlier bottles...simple cab..not a good QPR. (2069 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (7/7/2009)
(Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (11/8/2008)
(Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Linda Murphy
JancisRobinson.com (6/22/2008)
(Clos du Val, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign and JancisRobinson.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Clos du Val Producer website
Clos Du Val, French for "small vineyard estate of a small valley," was founded in 1972 in the now legendary Stags Leap District by Franco-American entrepreneur John Goelet. After a worldwide search to purchase vineyard properties from which to craft world-class wines, 150 acres in Stags Leap and 180 acres in Carneros were chosen, solidifying Clos Du Val's iconic stature and formidable place in Napa Valley history. Today, for Clos Du Val Winemaker Ted Henry, it is the bounty from these renowned vineyards that acts as the foundation for the distinctive, terroir-driven wines of balance and elegance for which Clos Du Val is known.Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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