1978 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Community Tasting Notes (28) Avg Score: 92.4 points

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  2/14/2024 - JRockEsq Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Method: opened 45 minutes prior to tasting; Grassl 1855; 59 degrees; bottom neck fill; cork soaked 80% or so of the way up
  
  Look: deep- garnet (can't believe the color), very slight bricking
  
  Nose: clove, nutmeg, cherry fruit leather, cinnamon, peeling birch tree, faint woodsmoke, dark cherry; very expressive
  
  Palate: bing cherry, tree bark, leather, forest floor; long finish bay leaf, cedar, nutmeg; dry; medium+ body; high- tannin (or some fine sediment made it through the filter, whoops); medium+ acidity
  
  Overall thoughts: Really surprised and impressed with how relatively young this seems - dark color, some fruit, and very expressive. Still has a lot of structure as well; in fact, more tannins than I want (or maybe some fine sediment since I used a fine filter and didn't decant). Big fan of the flavor (spiced cherry + some earthy notes). Surprised to say, I think this has a ton of life left. Great wine. I think it will improve for my tastes.

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  2/14/2024 - AlyssaRock12 Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Note: old leather, gun smoke, dried cherry, moss, mineral, black pepper, old leather bound books; smells like I’m sitting in a dusty library; fantastic and expressive nose
  
  Palate: gun smoke, wood smoke, campfire, graphite, bay leaf, old leather, cherry; long finish of wood smoke, iron and graphite; now takes me to sitting in the woods by a bonfire; med + body; med + acid; tannins are well integrated
  
  Overall: incredible, incredible, incredible! Wow. Would never guess this was so old. I love a wine that transports me somewhere and this wine does exactly that. Phenomenal nose and palate, still holding strong!

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  12/3/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points

  Fantastic; raspberry, walnut, shiitake, warm earth, cedar, pencil - classically sun-kissed, balanced old Napa. Still with nice sap and fine acid on the palate making this complete. 94-95

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  12/2/2023 - RockinCabs wrote: 95 Points

  California Wine Weekend; 12/1/2023-12/3/2023 (Mos Eisley Cantina & Waterhouse Restaurant): Nose: Pencil, red cherry, leather, cedar and blackberry compote. Palate: Blackberry, graphite, pencil shavings, dark cherry and a floral note. Seamless on the palate with a bit of ripe blueberry and soft tannin. Finish: detailed and expressive.
  
  Such a remarkable late 70's Napa wine the Clos du Val impresses for its ample complexity and great balance.

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  11/7/2023 - nkanter@gmail.com Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Double decanted off sediment. First taste immediately:
  
  Appearance Clear, medium garnet color
  Nose Pronounced, red and black fruits, blackberry, currants, cedar and leather, maybe clove
  Palate Medium sweetness, medium-high acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium intensity, long finish, notes of red and black fruit, more leather and cedar wood.
  
  I thought it was very good.

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View all 28 Community Tasting Notes

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