Clos Du Val Winery

Clos du Val makes wines for the long haul. It so happens that this Merlot is built for short-term drinking – let’s say, over the next five, six years. But that’s not to be construed as a negative. Because this is an excellent wine, and when one factors in the price (what with the average cost of a Napa Valley red being 50 bucks these days), we have a good deal here.

Winemaker John Clews has designed the wine utilizing perfectly ripened fruit from various locales in the valley – mostly from the Stags Leap District. There are aromas of cherries, strawberries and cassis. While there may not be great complexity, this Merlot has a lot going on and it will reward the consumer.

The wine was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, 25 percent of which were new. I also like the fact that the listed alcohol is 14.1 percent and it doesn’t reveal itself in any sort of hotness or grip. There were 5,250 cases produced, not a small number, but a quantity large enough that in the hands of a lesser winemaker, there wouldn’t be this attention to detail.

Reviewed August 22, 2006 by Alan Goldfarb.