Made ByWinery
One of Napa Valley's founding estates, Clos du Val has produced Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District since 1972, earning a Pearl 3 Star Prestige rating in 2025. Winemaker Ted Henry leads a program built on the district's characteristic volcanic soils and cool afternoon winds. The estate sits within a comparable set that helped define Napa's international reputation across five decades.
At a glance
- Price
- $$$
- Hours
- Mon: 10 AM–5 PM; Tue: Closed; Wed: Closed; Thu: 10 AM–5 PM; Fri: 10 AM–5 PM; Sat: 10 AM–5 PM; Sun: 10 AM–5 PM
- Neighborhood
- Stags Leap District
- Rating
- 4.6 (308)
<h2>Five Decades of Stags Leap Cabernet</h2><p>The Stags Leap District earned its American Viticultural Area designation in 1989, but its reputation was already being assembled in the early 1970s by a small group of estates planting Cabernet Sauvignon on volcanic loam soils above the Napa Valley floor. Clos du Val entered that founding cohort in 1972, making it one of a handful of producers whose institutional memory predates Napa's modern commercial era. That longevity carries weight in a region where first-vintage dates function as credentials: the 1972 benchmark places Clos du Val alongside estates that shaped the district's identity before it had a formal name.</p><p>The Stags Leap District's signature is textural rather than purely structural. The porous volcanic soils drain quickly, stressing vines into smaller berry yields and tighter tannin development, while the Palisades rock face radiates afternoon heat and the gap between the Vaca and Mayacamas ranges funnels cool air off San Pablo Bay each evening. That diurnal range is responsible for the district's reputation for Cabernets that hold both weight and acidity, a combination that has consistently placed Stags Leap wines in a different tasting register from Oakville or Rutherford Cabernets grown on heavier benchland soils.</p><h2>The Ritual of Tasting at a Founding Estate</h2><p>There is a particular pacing to tasting at an estate with a half-century of production history. At properties like Clos du Val, the conversation in a tasting room is rarely about the current vintage in isolation. The estate's archive creates an implicit vertical dimension: wines are understood against a lineage, and winemaker decisions read as responses to what came before rather than standalone choices. Bernard Portet's role at Clos du Val places him within that longer arc, where each release is a chapter rather than a standalone statement.</p><p>That institutional depth changes the tempo of a tasting visit. Guests are not simply sampling a portfolio; they are engaging with a body of work that runs back through major shifts in California winemaking, the shift toward riper, higher-alcohol profiles in the 1990s and 2000s, the subsequent recalibration toward fresher, more European-informed styles in the 2010s, and the current moment of soil-focused, site-expressive Cabernet that has repositioned Napa's top tier against Bordeaux's left bank on sommeliers' lists. The 2025 Pearl 3 Star Prestige recognition from EP Club provides a current-era quality anchor within that arc.</p><p>The etiquette of such a visit rewards patience. Rushing through a five-wine flight at a founding estate wastes the layering that distinguishes a serious tasting from a scenic afternoon. The standard approach is to give each pour enough time to open in glass, to return to earlier pours after later ones have shifted your palate reference, and to ask directly about the winemaker's reasoning on stylistic choices. At estates with Henry's level of tenure, that conversation is usually substantive.</p><h2>Where Clos du Val Sits in the Stags Leap comparable set</h2><p>The Stags Leap District has become one of Napa's more competitive sub-appellations at the prestige tier. Estates in the district now include a dense concentration of well-capitalized producers, and the peer benchmarks are demanding. <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/chimney-rock-winery-stags-leap-district-napa-winery">Chimney Rock Winery</a> focuses its program almost entirely on Cabernet Franc-informed blends alongside a core Cabernet Sauvignon; <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/silverado-vineyards-stags-leap-district-napa-winery">Silverado Vineyards</a> operates at scale while maintaining appellation-level seriousness; <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/pine-ridge-vineyards-stags-leap-district-napa-winery">Pine Ridge Vineyards</a> has built a reputation for multi-appellation blending alongside its estate-fruit program; and <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/lewis-cellars-stags-leap-district-napa-winery">Lewis Cellars</a> positions at the allocation-driven, highly extracted end of the district's range. <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/quixote-winery-stags-leap-district-napa-winery">Quixote Winery</a> operates at micro-scale with a distinctive architectural identity.</p><p>Clos du Val's founding date and its half-century of continuous production create a different kind of authority within that peer group. Where newer estates build identity through branding and allocation scarcity, Clos du Val's identity is built through uninterrupted presence across Napa's defining chapters. That is a meaningful distinction for collectors and serious visitors making deliberate choices about which estates to prioritise on a Stags Leap itinerary.</p><p>For broader regional context, our full Stags Leap District guide maps the district's estates against each other by style, scale, and visitor experience.</p><h2>The Address Anomaly Worth Clarifying</h2><p>Clos du Val's address is listed as Clos Solène Winery, Niderer Road, Paso Robles, CA, USA. Visitors planning a tasting visit should confirm current location and access directly with the estate before travelling.</p><h2>California's Wider Context for Serious Visitors</h2><p>A visit to Clos du Val fits most naturally into a Napa-focused itinerary structured around the district's founding estates and current prestige tier. For visitors building a longer California wine route, the state's producing regions span a significant range of styles and scales. <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/adelaida-vineyards">Adelaida Vineyards in Paso Robles</a> and <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/alban-vineyards">Alban Vineyards in Arroyo Grande</a> represent the Central Coast's Rhône-variety programs, which operate in a different stylistic register from Napa Cabernet. <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/andrew-murray-vineyards">Andrew Murray Vineyards in Los Olivos</a> anchors the Santa Barbara County Rhône scene. In Sonoma, <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/alexander-valley-vineyards-geyserville-winery">Alexander Valley Vineyards in Geyserville</a> offers a counterpoint in Cabernet from a warmer, less volcanic growing context.</p><p>Within Napa itself, <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/accendo-cellars">Accendo Cellars in St. Helena</a> and <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/alpha-omega-winery-rutherford-winery">Alpha Omega Winery in Rutherford</a> offer peer-level tasting experiences from different sub-appellations, useful for visitors interested in comparing district-level soil and climate differences within the valley. Further north, <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/adelsheim-vineyard-newberg-winery">Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg</a> represents Oregon's Willamette Valley Pinot Noir program for those building a Pacific Coast wine route across state lines.</p><p>For visitors with international reference points, <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/aberlour-aberlour-winery">Aberlour in Aberlour</a> and <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/wineries/achaia-clauss-patras-winery">Achaia Clauss in Patras</a> anchor the European comparison set across Scotch whisky and Greek wine traditions respectively, useful for placing Napa Cabernet's prestige tier in a global context of estate-driven production with long institutional histories.</p><h2>Planning a Visit</h2><p>Given the address irregularity noted above, visitors should treat Clos du Val as a Stags Leap District estate and confirm tasting room access and current booking process directly. The 2025 Pearl 3 Star Prestige rating signals that the estate's current production is performing at a level that warrants a confirmed appointment visit rather than a walk-in stop. Serious Napa itineraries in the district are typically booked several weeks in advance.</p><h3>Quick Reference</h3><ul><li>Founded: 1972</li><li>Location: Stags Leap District, Napa Valley</li><li>Winemaker: Ted Henry</li><li>Recognition: EP Club Pearl 3 Star Prestige (2025)</li><li>Primary variety: Cabernet Sauvignon</li><li>Booking: Confirm directly with the estate; advance reservation advised</li></ul>
Know before you go
- Dress code
- smart_casual
- Reservations
- recommended
- Parking
- on_site_lot
- Payment
- credit_card
- Outdoor seating
- Yes
- Children
- Welcomed
Frequently asked
Is Clos du Val recognized by any major rating lists?
Clos du Val has received recognition including: Pearl 3 Star Prestige (2025).
What's Clos du Val's location?
Clos du Val is located at Clos Solène Winery, Niderer Road, Paso Robles, CA, USA, Stags Leap District (Napa).
What wine is Clos du Val famous for?
Clos du Val built its reputation on Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District, a Napa sub-appellation whose identity is closely tied to that variety. The estate's 1972 first vintage places it among the earliest continuous producers in the district, predating its 1989 AVA designation by nearly two decades. That long track record with Stags Leap Cabernet is what draws serious collectors to the property.
What's the standout thing about Clos du Val?
The 1972 founding vintage is the clearest differentiator: it puts Clos du Val in the Stags Leap District's founding cohort, a small group of estates that shaped the appellation's identity before it had official recognition. That history, combined with a Pearl 3 Star Prestige rating in 2025, positions the estate at both ends of the timeline — original producer and current prestige tier. Few Stags Leap properties can claim both.
Do I need a reservation for Clos du Val?
Advance booking is strongly advisable. Stags Leap District estates at the prestige tier, particularly those carrying named award recognition like Clos du Val's Pearl 3 Star Prestige (2025), typically operate on appointment-based access rather than walk-in. Confirm current tasting room availability and booking requirements directly with the estate before visiting, as policies at this tier change seasonally.
Who is the winemaker at Clos du Val and what does that mean for the style?
Ted Henry serves as winemaker at Clos du Val, guiding production at an estate with a continuous record stretching back to 1972 in the Stags Leap District. That kind of institutional continuity is relatively rare at the prestige tier in Napa, where winemaking teams change more frequently. The Pearl 3 Star Prestige recognition in 2025 suggests the current program is holding pace with the estate's historical standing.
What's the best use case for Clos du Val?
Clos du Val suits visitors specifically focused on the Stags Leap District's founding generation and the longer arc of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, rather than those chasing newer cult producers. A visit pairs logically with other district estates to build a comparative picture of how Stags Leap Cabernet has evolved since the early 1970s. The Pearl 3 Star Prestige rating (2025) confirms the estate remains a serious reference point in that conversation.
Address
5330 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA 94558
Stags Leap District · Napa Valley
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