Friday, December 08, 2006


Very Fine Wine
Clos Du Val

In 1970, American businessman John Goelet sent French-born winemaker Bernard Portet off with a passport and a mission to find new territory with the potential to produce world-class wines. Two years and five continents later, Portet landed in California. Portet got a sense of Napa Valley's microclimates by driving through the area with his arm out
the car window.

Struck by the cool evenings and idyllic terrain of the then-undiscovered Stags Leap District, he proposed the area to Goelet. Convinced, Goelet purchased 150 acres of land and founded Clos Du Val, a "small estate of a small valley," in 1972.

Soon thereafter Clos Du Val became one of the first wineries to stake a claim on some of the finest hillside land in the cool-climate region of Carneros, purchasing 180
acres in 1973.

Portet's old-world approach to winemaking combined with Napa Valley fruit established Clos Du Val's tradition of limited-release, handcrafted estate-style wines of balance, elegance and complexity. The first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon in 1972 was one of only five California Cabernets selected for the now-legendary 1976 Paris Tasting.

That same vintage took first place in a rematch 10 years later, proving that Clos Du Val wines age with grace.

Today Co-founder and Vice Chairman Bernard Portet is joined by Vice President of Vineyards and Winery Operations John Clews. The two make blending decisions as a team and share a passion for merging old-world artisan techniques with the extraordinary character of Napa Valley fruit. As a result Clos Du Val wine exhibits a truly international
character.

www.closduval.com
www.taltarni.com.au
www.domainedenizas.com