Clos Du Val

Happy Wine Down Wednesday Winos!

I know it has been awhile since my last post, so I promise these next few posts will have been worth the wait.

Recently, I went to Clos Du Val and my experience was actually pretty exciting. As you can see in the picture above I got to taste a 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon. The bottle was opened with a Coravin bottle opener which punctures the cork with a needle and uses argon gas to suck up the wine with a push of a button, then when you pull out the needle, the cork reseals itself so that it is almost like it was never opened and is good for roughly 35 pours. The wine was totally fresh and everything you would hope for in an aged Cab, nice brownish color and unlike anything I've ever tasted before. 

My tasting host was very friendly and I really enjoyed my tasting experience. He was very knowledgeable and has been in the industry since the 1970s. I did the Single Vineyard Tasting, and getting to taste the unique differences from a single vineyard really shows the specific style of the winemaker. The one thing that I liked was that nearly all of the wines are very approachable. They could be like by many and have a more neutral taste with a few WOW wines to mix it up. The wine that I would most like to note was the Pinot Noir, I give it a 5 star rating. Previous to this tasting Deep Sea's Pinot Noir was my all time favorite, however, Clos Du Val is making me second guess that placement. The specific Pinot I tasted was the Estate Pinot Noir, Block 99A2 from the Carneros region. It has a fantastic aroma, smooth front and a spicy high tannin finish. It is manly yet approachable. The other wine to note was the Cabernet Franc, it was the wine that keeps on going. Many wines have either a fantastic front or finish and this has both with very distinct differences that it is almost like drinking two wines in one it was a very pleasant surprise. 

The wine is a little pricier and runs from the $30-$70 range with the most expensive wine being the 1993 vintage which is incredibly reasonable. The wine is approachable and easily accessible as their wines can be found at BevMo and many other liquor stores near you. 

Cheers!

-Shawntelle