2016 Clos Du Val Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

There is only one winery whose very first vintage helped to change the wine world and catapult California from obscurity to the forefront of the international wine map: Clos Du Val. 

Thanks to our close connections at the winery, we’re thrilled to share the estate’s 2016 signature Cabernet Sauvignon—a brilliant wine that lives up to the legend of its storied predecessors. We fell head over heels for this wine’s combination of baking spices, ripe berry flavors, and velour texture. As critic Jeb Dunnuck put it, “it’s a rocking Cabernet that should be snatched up by readers looking for a terrific value.” Enough said. 

Clos Du Val was one of the first to popularize Bordeaux-style winemaking in Napa Valley, at a time when Cabernet Sauvignon was an afterthought in California. At the time of the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting, very little Cabernet Sauvignon was planted in California, and Clos Du Val—with its very first vintage—helped make Cabernet Sauvignon Napa’s king of grapes.

The estate has been one of Napa’s Grandes Dames ever since, but we’ve been keeping a close eye on Clos Du Val in recent years, ever since the estate made a massive commitment to re-focus exclusively on their estate vineyards—dramatically reducing production from 90,000 to 35,000 cases. 

Together with new winemaker Ted Henry, the winery has returned to its roots, focusing on perfecting their estate Cabernet. The local buzz around this decision has been steadily growing to a fever pitch in recent years, and we’re all in.

We believe the muscular palate structure on this 2016, which gives way to satiny, polished tannins and a long, lingering finish, could outlast its Napa peers. We’re cellaring our own stash of this liquid history, and suggest you do too.