Open: 10am-5pm
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (May 15, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
View Napa in a larger map or Get Directions
Tasting:
Clos Du Val was the last stop of the day for me on a recent trip out to Napa. I’d been to the winery once before and remembered it fondly as having good but not great wines and a very friendly tasting staff. It turned out that seven years later, not much had changed.
The winery sits in the Stag's Leap District on the southern end of the Silverado Trail and features a classic Tuscan feel, including an ivy-covered building and several Italian Cypress trees (or "penis trees" as Steph and I like to call them). The staff at Clos Du Val warmly welcomed me to the tasting room and explained my tasting options. They offered two $15 tastings: a “Harvest Whites” tasting of a Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, and two Chardonnays as well as a “Current Releases” tasting of their white blend Ariadne, plus their Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet. They also featured a “Reserve Reds” tasting of four wines for $30. Naturally, I went for the Reserve.
Before we started out we went off-script, something I always appreciate. My host poured me a side-by-side taste of the 2009 Pinot Noir against the 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir, the first wine on my reserve list. I found the reserve to be better, but not significantly, but neither wine blew me away. I then tried the 2008 Three Graces Red, a Bordeaux blend only sold at the winery. Again, a good wine, but not amazing for me. Then things got fairly interesting with not one, not two, but three Cabs. We started with the standard 2008 Cabernet, but quickly followed it with perhaps my favorite wine of the stop up until that point, the 2007 Cabernet. The final wine was a treat: a 1997 Reserve Cabernet. By the time I got into wine, most of the 1997s were gone, and so my opportunities to try this famous Napa vintage have been sparse. It was an excellent wine and the best of the stop, but was it more than twice as good as the 2007 ($175 vs. $80 for the 2007)? Probably not, and realistically neither wine was superior to others I’d tried in that price range.
I debated, but whether due to a lack of confidence in my palate late in the day or a desire to try to “be good” and curtail my wine buying on the trip, I left paying only the tasting fee. The tasting room staff were gracious and polite, and the pretentiousness you often encounter along the Silverado Trail was nowhere to be found. The wines were quite good, but also quite expensive. Like Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, this is a solid stop for people who enjoy big red wines and want the opportunity to try a number of well-made Cabs. The wines didn’t leave enough of an impression for me to bring them home, but perhaps they will for you.
The winery sits in the Stag's Leap District on the southern end of the Silverado Trail and features a classic Tuscan feel, including an ivy-covered building and several Italian Cypress trees (or "penis trees" as Steph and I like to call them). The staff at Clos Du Val warmly welcomed me to the tasting room and explained my tasting options. They offered two $15 tastings: a “Harvest Whites” tasting of a Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, and two Chardonnays as well as a “Current Releases” tasting of their white blend Ariadne, plus their Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet. They also featured a “Reserve Reds” tasting of four wines for $30. Naturally, I went for the Reserve.
I debated, but whether due to a lack of confidence in my palate late in the day or a desire to try to “be good” and curtail my wine buying on the trip, I left paying only the tasting fee. The tasting room staff were gracious and polite, and the pretentiousness you often encounter along the Silverado Trail was nowhere to be found. The wines were quite good, but also quite expensive. Like Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, this is a solid stop for people who enjoy big red wines and want the opportunity to try a number of well-made Cabs. The wines didn’t leave enough of an impression for me to bring them home, but perhaps they will for you.
Recommended wine: The Cabs were my favorite, particularly the 2007 and 1997, but neither lived up to its price tag.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.00 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.25 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.50 |  VALUE | 3.50 |
 OVERALL | 4.06 | ||
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