Clos Du Val Estate Merlot 2016 | A legend returns – absolute steal!
Clos Du Val Estate Merlot 2016 pours a deep purple, coating the glass as you swirl. Macerated plums, black cherry, and mulberry aromas leap from the glass, carried by waves of baking spice, mocha, and a whiff of coffee. Mouth-coating but not heavy, there is a velvety give to the tannins that supply a plush texture to the firm core of fruit. Flavors of blackberry, wild plum, baking chocolate, and crème caramel sustain through the finish. Drink now – 2029.
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The Clos Du Val Estate Merlot 2016 hails from their famed Hirondelle Vineyard in Stags Leap District as well as their prime sites in Yountville and Carneros, and it is a straight-up, mouthwatering Napa Valley classic. Pouring a deep glass-clinging purple, it’s got a nose of macerated plums, black cherry, baking spice, and a whiff of coffee. Mouth-coating but not heavy, with a firm and plush core, it’s carried through a long finish by beautiful velvety tannins.
Small vineyard estate of a small valley
Clos du Val is in the midst of rebirth as exciting as their ascent to fame forty years ago. And if their magnificent Clos Du Val Estate Merlot 2016—the first off the property in decades—indicates the direction of this legendary Napa Valley estate, then we are enthusiastically and unequivocally all-in.
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.
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So, Clos Du Val remains family-owned today. And farming 350 acres of estate vineyards in the Stags Leap District, Carneros, and Yountville appellations. While continuing to craft wines of balance and complexity. And of course, showcasing the fruit from the outstanding terroir on which the estate lies.
Winemaker Ted Henry
So, great wines embody the character and complexity of the vineyards they come from. They also reflect the artistry and experience of the people who make them. First, Ted is just the fourth winemaker in the four-decade history of Clos Du Val. First, bringing an emphasis on Bordeaux varieties. Today, a gifted winemaker, Ted Henry offers 15 years of experience making impeccably balanced, estate-grown wines to Clos Du Val. In addition, mentored by such luminaries as famed wine sensory chemist Dr. Ann Noble and renowned winemaker Dimitri Tchelistcheff. As a result, Ted is guiding a vibrant and vineyard-driven stylistic shift at Clos Du Val. Now moving towards greater ripeness, lovely mid-palate depth, and ideal tannin integration.
