This week we sip it up with the amazing wine genius himself, Kevin Lemon, and hear from the debonair winemaker Ted Henry of Clos du Val.
At Clos Du Val, our story is rich in history. John and Henrietta Goelet founded Clos Du Val in 1972. A descendant of Bordeaux's famed wine merchant, Barton & Guestier, John had a vision of producing Cabernet Sauvignon that would rival the world’s best. French-trained winemaker Bernard Portet was selected to head the search for the perfect property from which to produce these wines.
In 1972, two years and five continents later, a parcel in what would become the Stags Leap District in the Napa Valley was chosen to fulfill this lofty dream. Our inaugural wine, the 1972 Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon, was part of the group that topped French wines in the legendary 1976 Judgment of Paris blind tasting. Ten years later, our Cabernet Sauvignon took first place in the Judgment of Paris rematch. While we are still incredibly focused on the growing and production of the world’s finest wines, history has taught us that the value of what we do is in the connections that wine allows us to create. These connections, between our customers, our vineyards, our wines, our people, and our history create a richness of story and purpose that informs and defines the Clos Du Val experience.
Winemaking Ted Henry - Winemaker & Mabel Ojeda - Assistant Winemaker Great wines embody the character and complexity of the vineyards they come from. They also reflect the artistry and experience of the people who make them. As only the fourth winemaker in the four-decade history of Clos Du Val, gifted winemaker Ted Henry brings 15 years of experience making impeccably balanced, estate-grown wines to Clos Du Val, with an emphasis on Bordeaux varieties. Mentored by such luminaries as famed wine sensory chemist Dr. Ann Noble and renowned winemaker Dimitri Tchelistcheff, Ted is guiding a vibrant and vineyard-driven stylistic shift at Clos Du Val towards greater ripeness, lovely mid-palate depth, and ideal tannin integration.
