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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2017 and 2024 (based on 4 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.9 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 9 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by jmottern on 12/21/2023 & rated 90 points: Big (14.5%) dark red wine. Huge plum and black cherry fruit that still needs to smooth out. Long finish. (99 views) | | | Tasted by jmottern on 4/30/2023 & rated 89 points: Dark red big wine (14.5%). Takes a least an hour to open but still rough tannin along with the fruit. Perhaps it needs more aging???? (248 views) | | | Tasted by jmottern on 3/24/2023 & rated 92 points: Dark red full body (14.5%) wine. Nice nose. Full mouth of blackberry, cherry and plum fruit. Medium long finish. This bottle was better than the previous one. (255 views) | | | Tasted by jmottern on 11/21/2022 & rated 90 points: Deep dark medium body (14.5%) wine. Floral nose. Subdued plum and black cherry fruit. (270 views) | | | Tasted by rossi.wine on 9/5/2022 & rated 92 points: Very dark and glossy in colour. Dark fruit and spices on the nose - ripe and generous, but not cooked. On the palate big and concentrated, wonderful fruit, the alcohol showing at times. Ripe tannins, very smooth and round, a bit of grip towards the long finish. 91-93 (751 views) | | | Tasted by vinhonotte on 9/9/2020 & rated 92 points: Fine Wines SG - BYOB "The Best of Merlot" (The Communal Bistro Delicacy - CBD): Medium ruby. Aromas of cherry, blackberry, purple flowers, and cloves. Cherry and some meat savouriness on the palate, and quite well balanced with tannins and alcohol integrated. Moderate finish (618 views) | | | Tasted by The Great Hatsbys on 9/27/2019 & rated 96 points: The Hatsbys obviously enjoy the many wines by Clos Du Val. This was no exception. (469 views) | | | Tasted by BrockmanP on 9/6/2018 & rated 95 points: Very nice. But I'll hold off another two years for my next bottle... (564 views) |
| 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.MerlotMerlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.EstateIn the United States, "Wines with “estate bottled” designations must: a) also designate an appellation of origin or an AVA, and both the vineyards and the winery must be located there; b) the grapes must come from vineyards owned or controlled by the winery; and c) the wine must have been produced, from crush to bottle, in a continuous process without leaving the winery’s premises."
- WINE LABEL FAQS: A QUICK SUMMARY OF LABEL DESIGNATION RULES" by David E. StollUSAAmerican 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 / SonomaSONOMA: The Yorkville Highlands AVA, approved in 1998, is located in the southwestern corner of Mendocino County, between Sonoma County's Alexander Valley to the South and Mendocino County!s Anderson Valley to the North. The region is 25 miles long, roughly in the shape of rectangle and bisected by Highway 128 which runs the length of the AVA. The region!s terrain is hilly and forested, with elevations ranging from 1,078 to 2,442 feet above sea level.
The distinguishing features of the Yorkville Highlands AVA are rocky soils with a high gravel content and the climate, which is cooler than Alexander Valley but warmer than Anderson Valley, and significantly cooler at night than the surrounding areas.CarnerosStraddles the southern ends of Napa & Sonoma Counties. |
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