2016 Clos du Val Merlot Napa Valley

Clos Du Val, French for “small vineyard estate of a small valley,” was founded in 1972 in the renowned Stags Leap District. The winery was first recognized for its Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at the famed Judgment of Paris in 1976, establishing its place as one of Napa Valley’s most iconic winery estates. The Cabernet from this estate upset the French Bordeaux competitors at the French Culinary Institute Tasting of 1986. Still family-owned today, Clos Du Val farms 350 acres of estate vineyards in the Stags Leap District, Carneros, and Yountville appellations and continues to craft wines of balance and complexity, showcasing the fruit from the outstanding terroir.

The 2016 vintage was a fruitful one and an abundant harvest full of high-quality & near-perfect fruit! Wine Spectator & Wine Advocate gave the vintage a 98 point rating. Many of the 2016 Napa reds have long been sold due to high demand. Here is an opportunity to acquire one of the last late releases from an important winery that has been improving year after year in the last five years.

The 2016 growing season started two to three weeks early and progressed perfectly through the ripening process. The lack of rain during flowering resulted in a plentiful crop and instead of having very warm temperatures over the summer, we had cooling patterns throughout the season that lengthened harvest. The longer growing season yielded high-quality grapes with the last blocks arriving at the winery on October 14th which happened to be the first day we saw rain for the season.

97% Merlot, 1.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5% Petit Verdot. The 2016 Estate Merlot opens with a holiday spice aroma that layers over a hint of menthol. Flavors of red cherry, graham cracker, and candied fruit dance on the palate with a silky, smooth mouthfeel. The wine’s solid tannin structure melts away slowly leaving a refreshing fruit finish.

Offers a plush texture, with concentrated Asian spice and dark chocolate notes to the dark plum and cherry flavors. The creamy finish features cocoa powder accents. Drink now through 2023. ~90 Wine Spectator

Reductive in tar, oak, and thick concentrated flavor, this estate wine is spicy and darkly brooding in black cherry and plum. Sage and cedar nip around the edges of fruit and powerful ripeness. ~90 Wine Enthusiast

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