Happened upon a bottle of the Clos du Val in a wine store, so based on the press and a positive experience with the (more expensive) 2012 Clos du Val Stags Leap District, thought I’d give it a go. But just for fun, in comparison to another Cabernet at the same price point.
2013 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($30)
Dark red color. Hints of currant and dark fruits on the nose. Fairly structured, tannic. Moderate flavors of currant, hint cassis, black cherry, and noticeable notes of cedar. Decent finish. Overall, not quite enough fruit to stand up to the structure, but I’d rather have a slightly austere wine like this than one that’s flabby or overripe. Score: B/B+; not a re-buy. Much preferred the 2012 CdV Stags Leap District, even at the higher price of $40. (I’ve since see the ’12 Stags Leap District in the low $50’s, but wouldn’t re-buy at that price.)
2013 Concha Y Toro Terrunyo Cabernet Sauvignon, Block Las Terrazas, Chile ($30)
Dark red color. Decently rich, but restrained/balanced; aromas and flavors of red and black fruits; moderate/balanced tannins. Has a distinct violet/floral character, which isn’t really my thing. Medium finish. Score: B/B+. For some reason this hung around for several days, and on day 4 or 5 it finally showed some nice currant/cassis character with a bit of new oak. Preferred it at that stage over how it showed initially.