Winemaker Notes
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The 2009 vintage was a great success for Clos du Val, and now they’ve released this fabulous wine, whose production was 3,000 cases. It’s an absolute classic, a gorgeous example of Stags Leap, with lush blueberry, black currant, violet and mineral flavors, hard tannins and perfect acidity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Readers will have to be exceedingly patient with the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Stags’ Leap District). A big, dark wine, the 2009 is one of the richest wines I have tasted from Clos du Val recently. An exciting melange of black fruit, incense, tobacco, licorice and pencil shavings hits the palate with notable depth and sheer power. Darker fruit, tons of melted road tar, smoke and scorched earth add weight on the deep, plush finish. The formidable Stags’ Leap tannins are going to require patience. The 2009 is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029.
Rating: 92+ -
Wine & Spirits
A prime rib wine, this has the flash of a long rest in expensive oak. Barrel time has layered the Stags Leap tannins into a savory black chocolate cake, the fruit waiting to emerge from the space in between the tannins. Give it time in the cellar before breaking it out for beef.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.