CLOS DU VAL

2009 CABERNET SAUVIGNON

NAPA VALLEY 

APPELLATION: Napa Valley

COMPOSITION: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon 7% Merlot

6% Cabernet Franc

3% Petit Verdot

FERMENTATION: Traditional stainless steel tanks with 2 pumpovers daily

AGING: 18 months in French oak barrels, 25% new barrels

ACID: 5.9 g/L pH: 3.65

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

SOIL TYPE: gravelly clay loams

AGE OF VINES: 10-27 years

HARVESTED: September 14 - October 16, 2008

BOTTLING: July 2010

PRODUCTION: 30,000 cases produced

WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS

Characteristic of Clos du Val’s world-class style, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon continues the winery’s tradition of producing truly elegant wines of balance and complexity. Its opulent, brooding purple hue is accentuated with aromas of ripe black and purple fruit, black pepper and subtle hints of toast. The palate displays a seamless integration of intense flavors that include chocolate, toffee and blackberry. The wine has a rich yet powerful mouthfeel marked by focused, silky tannins and a long, lingering finish. Expect this Cabernet Sauvignon to age gracefully for an additional 5-10 years.

HARVEST

After a somewhat frenetic growing season marked by dry periods, heavy rains, cold spikes and heat waves, harvest began on August 20th with Pinot Noir for our highly-limited Rosé program and ended with the harvesting of our final Cabernet Sauvignon lots on October 6th. The skies opened up on Oct 13th, dumping more than three inches of rain in the valley in fewer than 24 hours, damaging much of the fruit remaining on the vines. Fortunately for us, all of our fruit was harvested before the rains. The 2009 harvest produced very aromatic white wines bolstered with good acidity and perfume-infused reds with excellent color and well balanced flavors.

HISTORY

Clos du Val, French for “small vineyard estate of a small valley,” was founded in 1972 in the now legendary Stags Leap District by John Goelet and French winemaker Bernard Portet. After a worldwide search to purchase vineyard properties from which to craft world-class Bordeaux and Burgundy varietals, 150 acres in the now legendary Stags Leap District and 180 acres in the cool Carneros District were chosen, from which Clos du Val Winery, a true Napa Valley icon, was born.