Clos du Val

Clos Du Val: Classic Wines that are Always in Style

Filed under: Wine

Clos Du Val is a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Domestic Red Wine.

The winery's roots date back to 1970 when American businessman John Goelet sent French-born winemaker Bernard Portet off with his passport and a mission to find new territory with the potential to produce world-class wines. Portet fulfilled that mission when he selected the Stags Leap District for Bordeaux varietals.

In 1973, Portet became one of the first vintners to stake a claim on some of the finest hillside land in the cool-climate region of Carneros, another undeveloped and promising district now famous for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Portet's old-world approach to winemaking combined with Napa Valley fruit established Clos Du Val's tradition of classic estate-style wines of balance, elegance and complexity. Its first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon in 1972 was one of only six California Cabernets selected for the now-legendary 1976 Paris Tasting. That same vintage took first place in a rematch ten years later, proving that Clos Du Val wines age with grace.

Gallery: Clos du Val, Napa Valley, Ca.