Clos du Val, Cabernet Sauvignon, Two Pack, 1992 & 2014
Napa Valley, United States MV (750mL)
Regular price$139.00
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Clos du Val, Cabernet Sauvignon, Two Pack, 1992 & 2014
How easily we forget, in the search for the “newest” and “coolest” in wine, the producers who blazed the trail—the heritage brands that, in some ways, become victims of their own success. Every so often I’ll see a lovingly captioned Instagram shot of some Mondavi or Beaulieu red from the seventies, but in the main, your average sommelier in a hip restaurant today isn’t inclined to showcase a brand that can be found on just about every retail shelf in town.
This intriguing 2-pack is designed to redirect some attention and love to another Napa original, Clos du Val, which is in the midst of some exciting changes in both its winery and vineyards. At a recent vertical tasting of Clos du Val Cabernets going back several decades, I was particularly enamored with the 1992 vintage; it’s a well-balanced, perfectly stored, classically proportioned example of mature Napa Cabernet, its core of ripe red fruit still fresh but now layered with the leathery, cedary, cigar-wrapper hallmarks of age. With the blessing of new Clos du Val President, Steve Tamburelli, we’re the first to introduce their 2014 Napa Valley Estate Cabernet to the market with this unique ‘then-and-now’ combo pack. Not only is it a great way to re-acquaint yourself with a Napa Valley stalwart, it’s a first look at what the future holds for this revamped and re-energized property.
Of course, you may also choose to pop both bottles side-by-side for a little micro-lesson in how wine ages. I wouldn’t discourage that. I, for one, was happy to get a fresh look at this Napa classic, and I’m certain you’ll enjoy it, too.
This intriguing 2-pack is designed to redirect some attention and love to another Napa original, Clos du Val, which is in the midst of some exciting changes in both its winery and vineyards. At a recent vertical tasting of Clos du Val Cabernets going back several decades, I was particularly enamored with the 1992 vintage; it’s a well-balanced, perfectly stored, classically proportioned example of mature Napa Cabernet, its core of ripe red fruit still fresh but now layered with the leathery, cedary, cigar-wrapper hallmarks of age. With the blessing of new Clos du Val President, Steve Tamburelli, we’re the first to introduce their 2014 Napa Valley Estate Cabernet to the market with this unique ‘then-and-now’ combo pack. Not only is it a great way to re-acquaint yourself with a Napa Valley stalwart, it’s a first look at what the future holds for this revamped and re-energized property.
During our recent visit to Clos du Val, Tamburelli—who was previously GM at yet another Napa icon, Chappellet—laid out his vision for Clos du Val in sometimes blunt terms. Founded in 1972, Clos du Val is a bona-fide Napa Hall-of-Famer: Its 1972 Cabernet was one of the 6 Californians selected for the famous 1976 “Paris Tasting,” and its founding winemaker, French-born Bernard Portet, merits mention right alongside other legends of the era, from Tchelistcheff to Winiarski to Mondavi. In more recent times, however, Tamburelli noted that Clos du Val’s considerable growth came at a price. “We were chasing cases,” he said, referring to the decision to source considerable amounts of non-estate fruit to boost production. He and his team, which includes operations director Jon-Mark Chappellet and winemaker Ted Henry (formerly of Jarvis), are looking to go in the opposite direction—smaller production, from only the best of their estate vineyards. Somehow, he managed to obtain ownership’s blessing to cut overall production “by half” (!) in his quest for greater quality and purity of terroir expression.
Clos du Val’s 2014 Estate Cabernet, debuting here on SommSelect, represents the first produce of this “all-estate” direction. Moving forward, the estate’s focus will be on its three core vineyard sites: The 150-acre Hirondelle Vineyard in Stags Leap District (where the winery is located); the 17.5-acre State Lane Vineyard in Yountville; and the 180-acre Grand Val Vineyard in Carneros (for “Burgundian” varieties). A renewed focus on the health and management of these vineyards is at the heart of Clos du Val’s mission to re-establish the brand as a reference-point Cabernet Sauvignon.
As for what’s in the bottle in this 2-pack, let’s just say there’s one for now and one for later. In our recent tasting at the winery we were treated to Clos du Val vintages going back to 1977, and while I wasn’t surprised, I was impressed at how well the older wines were holding up. But the highlight for me was the 1992, which was right in its sweet spot—mature aromatics of leather, cedar, sandalwood and tobacco lept from the glass alongside a lush wave of dried violets, preserved red plum and delicate red cherry fruit. It was silky and fine and represents an incredible example of the 1992 vintage. Its perfect storage in Clos du Val’s cellars has kept oxidation to the minimal, incremental amount you should expect from a mature wine of this age. When serving this wine, I’d suggest decanting it to separate it from its (fairly trace) sediment, and serving it at around 65 degrees in—what else—Bordeaux stems. Although it opens up rather quickly, I didn’t experience any oxidation or dropoff in its energy over the time it was open.
The 2014 is, in some ways, a departure from Clos du Val’s edgier, Bordeaux-influenced ‘Old World’ style. Ted Henry remarked that they are “embracing the Napa Valley-ness” of their wines, and while I did indeed notice an abundance of intensity and extract in the 2014, there was also a nice balancing acidity and rather gripping, steely tannins that will take some time to resolve. Whereas so much modern Cabernet is sweet and extracted above all else, this 2014 felt like it had the right checks and balances in place. This wine was bottled at the end of the summer and will need some rest in bottle to really hit its stride; ideally wait until at least Spring 2017 to enjoy. Please decant a minimum 1 hour before serving. I must add that the real magical years for this wine will be 5-15 years from now, so, as with all well-made wine, those who wait will be rewarded.
