2012 Clos du Val Carneros Pinot Noir

Clos du Val was founded by John Goelet, a New York businessman, in 1972 in the Stag’s Leap District of Napa Valley. Bernard Portet was the founding winemaker, and he was responsible for much of the winery’s rise in reputation in the 1970s and 1980s. He retired in 2010. The winery owns 320 acres in Stag’s Leap and Carneros, and is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Portet was among the first winemakers in the region to use Merlot to soften California Cabernet Sauvignon, and his wines were known for their elegance and finesse. Today Clos du Val’s winemaker is John Clews, and the winery continues to earn acclaim for its wine. Wine & Spirits Magazine named it Winery of the Year in 2010. The winery’s signature wine is the Stag’s Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon.

Carneros AVA, also known as Los Carneros, is at the southern end of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys at the top of the San Francisco Bay. The 8,000 vineyard acres are mostly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both of which thrive in the district’s cool, marine climate. Carneros became an AVA in 1983 and it has attracted foreign wine companies along with local producers. It has been especially appealing to European producers of sparkling wines including the giant Spanish cava producers Codorniu and Frexinet, and the French Champagne house Taittinger. Codorniu in Carneros is called Artesa, and Frexinet’s Carneros brand is Gloria Ferrer. Taittinger calls its Carneros winery Domaine Carneros. The European producers also make still wines in Carneros.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.