The Business of Blending
Blending is a quintessential part of Clos du Val's signature winemaking style, but the mechanics of blending upwards of 1000 barrels at a time is not as simple it may sound. A few weeks ago, we talked to…
Hello, Merlot!
You’ll often hear us talk about our Hirondelle Vineyard in Stags Leap District (the home of our winery since 1972 and the site of the Hirondelle House), but we also farm another estate property just a few miles north in the Yountville…
2019 Yettalil: The Inaugural Vintage of an Icon
50 years ago, an entrepreneurial American living in France challenged a young French winemaker to travel the globe and find the best vineyard site in the world. After two years of adventures, that winemaker found a little corner of the…
Earth Day & Olive Trees
Happy Earth Day! In our first ever weekly update, Olav showed us the beginnings of a major landscaping project, focused on replanting trees and other vegetation on our estate with more drought-tolerant species. This project will help us continue to…
See ya, Suckers!
It feels like just yesterday that our vines were putting out their first growth of the season, but our vineyards have already been transformed by an influx of bright green of new shoots and leaves. Around this time of year,…
Blending Beginnings
It’s not easy to imagine today, when blended wines seem to have a near monopoly over the pinnacle positions of Napa Valley winery portfolios, but proprietary blends haven’t always reigned supreme here. When Clos du Val was founded in 1972,…
Barrel Tasting with Carmel
It’s no secret that winemaking is a hands-on process, but these last few weeks, we’ve been watching in awe (and maybe just a little jealousy) as our winemaker, Carmel Greenberg, tastes each and every barrel of our young 2021 wines. …
Hey there, buds!
Remember a few weeks ago, when we were checking up on the soil moisture levels in our Hirondelle Vineyard to make sure the vines had enough water and nutrients to produce new leaf growth? Well, just as we suspected,…
Chef Helen’s Jerusalem Roasted Chicken with Herb-Radish Salad & White Bean Hummus
Our lively and robust Cabernet Franc meets its match with a bright array of Mediterranean flavors. Marinating the chicken in advance deepens its flavor and saves time the day of serving. Serves 4 Serve with: 2019 Clos du Val…
34 Vintages, Still Growing – Enrique Rodriguez
This week, we caught up with Enrique Rodriguez, who has been with us for 34 of our 50 years as a winery. First joining Clos du Val as a vineyard worker in 1987, Enrique has continually taken any opportunity to learn…
