Wine Tasting in Napa Valley - Clos Du Val

We went to a birthday dinner with mijo's family in Fairfield last week. Since we were in the area, we dropped by a couple of wineries in Napa Valley the next day before we headed back to the city.  We decided to pay Clos Du Val a visit. Our wine rack also needed replenishing with special wines meant as  treats to ourselves once a month.

Clos du Val is a winery that we have never been to but we think their wines are usually tasty. It is one of the many wine makers dotting the Silverado Trail in Napa. Another good thing about this winery is that it is not packed with bus loads of tourists like Beringer or Mondavi. As soon as you open the main door at Clos du Val, you will be greeted by a fragrant whiff with hints of cloves, plums and glazed fruits, the sound of wines being poured on glasses, and of course, the oohs and aahhs of wine enthusiasts.
[to read my other Wine Tasting blogs, click here ]

The tasting list usually features reserve wines that are not widely available commercially. We were keen on tasting their selection of reds for our once-a-month-wine. They had a pinot noir, a merlot, a blend of three red wines and a cabernet sauvignon.

The one that stood out from the samples is the 2006 reserve cabernet sauvignon. It smelled with a hint of prunes, coffee and plum. The balance of tannins, fruit, and alcohol is good. It was delicious! I thought this is something that can be drank even without a food pairing. Mijo and mijo's sister Claudia thought so too.

While we were taking our turns sipping and tasting each wine, I was multitasking flipping through the wine list to check the prices. This is a habit of mine that mijo is not fond of. He would roll his eyes everytime he catches me doing it, though he is pleased every time I save him $$$ when shopping. 

The price is reasonable so it was an easy decision to purchase a couple of bottles. It would have been a better wine tasting experience had they waived the tasting fee with our purchase, but they didn't.

Here are my notes:
Tasting Date: May 1, 2011.
Tasting Partner: Mijo and Claudia
Wine Name: Clos Du Val Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer: Clos Du Val
Region/Appelation: Napa Valley, California
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13%
Color Hue: red, purple
Aroma Intensity: aromatic
Developments: youthful
Aromas: plum, glazed fruits, pistachios, coffee
Dry/Sweet: medium dry
Body: Medium
Acidity: Smooth
Tannins: medium level, soft
Flavors: plum, glazed fruits, nuts, coffee