Best ever from the Tasting Panel and Somm Journal at 96 points:
A stunner with this new release, grapes are sourced from Yountville, Stags Leap District, and other prestigious Napa sites. Aromas of just-baked blueberry pie waft from the glass. The satin mouthfeel is lined with dark chocolate-violet graininess. With a perfection of balanced ripeness, the wine demonstrates structure along with a vivid acidity.
Even more than the score, their description of this highlights just how perfectly Clos du Val hit their “Stags Leap meets Bordeaux” bullseye in 2023. As the back label says: “Clos du Val was born from a simple dream: to make the best Bordeaux-style wines in the world, and to do so outside of France. Now entering our third generation of family ownership, we are proud to produce strikingly elegant, enticingly fresh, and remarkably ageable wines.” They are especially proud of this 2023.
Best ever for Suckling, too:
Refined and earth-driven, showing tightly wound black-fruit aromas with underlying notes of graphite, bitter chocolate and cured meats. The palate is focused and pure with finely tuned tannins and a generous yet precise palate. A lovely wine to drink now or to cellar. Drink or hold.
Best ever for the Wine Advocate, too.
The real value here lies in the fact that almost NO other top Napa Cabernet from the Class of 1972 is now less than $100…and many now cost far more than that. But Clos du Val remains one of the finest of them all.
