Clos du Val, Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2015

Overview of the Win
Clos Du Val, French for “small vineyard estate of a small valley,” was founded in 1972, an era that wine writer Hugh Johnson referred to as “the turning point in modern wine history.” Two years before, the Goelet family tasked talented French-born winemaker Bernard Portet with finding vineyard land, anywhere in the world, capable of producing a world-class Cabernet Sauvignon.

Clos Du Val’s legendary debut Cabernet Sauvignon was one of only six California Cabernets selected for the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris Tasting, where California defeated some of Bordeaux’s finest wines. Ten years later, Clos Du Val’s reputation for creating some of Napa Valley's most gracefully age-worthy wines was solidified, when its 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon took first place in the Judgment of Paris rematch.

Still family-owned today, Clos Du Val farms 220 acres of estate vineyards in the Stags Leap District, and Yountville appellations and continues to craft wines of balance and complexity, showcasing the fruit from the outstanding terroir on which the estate lies.

Grape / Blend
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc

Origin
Napa Valley, California

Winemaker Tasting Notes
This Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is brimming with classic characteristics of cassis, bramble fruit and blueberry. The hints of butterscotch on the long, smooth finish are a giveaway of the new, carefully selected French oak barrel influence. 

92 Points - James Suckling
A tight and solid 2015 with plenty of blackberry and currant character and polished and silky tannins. Full body, pretty fruit and a fresh finish. Shows tension and focus. A blend of 80% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot, 8% cabernet franc. Better in 2019.

91 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is rock solid and offers impressive currant and blackberry fruit characteristics, notes of graphite and lead pencil, medium to full-bodied richness, and terrific purity. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, aged in 66% new French oak, it’s high-quality juice to drink over the coming decade or more.

90 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon—a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc—features notions of cassis, black cherries and plums with hints of damp earth and cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, it has appealing vibrancy and freshness in the mouth, with a chewy frame and good length.

Product size: 750ml