Clos du Val’s 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is the Napa Valley estate’s flagship red, built around fruit from its Stags Leap District holdings and shaped by a long-running, Bordeaux-influenced house style. The winery, founded in 1972, has historically aimed for balance and restraint, and this release largely follows that script at about 14.5% alcohol.

Professional reviewers were notably positive, with several excellent scores. James Suckling rated it 94 points, calling it “refined and earth-driven,” with “tightly wound black-fruit aromas” and accents of “graphite, bitter chocolate and cured meats.” He also emphasized its structure, citing a “focused and pure” palate, “finely tuned tannins,” and readiness “to drink now or to cellar.”

Decanter’s 93-point review leans into the wine’s lifted, red-fruit side, noting it is “quite red-fruited,” building from “strawberry and violet notes” toward “black-tea-secented tannins” and a “lingering graphite mineral finish.” Vinous (92 points) frames it as a strong-value Napa Cabernet, “bright and punchy, with terrific nuance,” with “black cherry, graphite, lavender, licorice and dried herbs…beautifully delineated,” and suggests it “captures all the energy of the year.”

Two critics provide the blend details: both Jeb Dunnuck (91 points) and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (91 points, Joe Czerwinski) report it as 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot. Dunnuck highlights “pure cassis and darker berries” alongside “tobacco, graphite, and some savory herb nuances,” calling it a “smoking value” and recommending 2026–2033. Wine Advocate similarly tags it a “super value,” with “black cherries” up front and a finish that is “long and silky.”

Wine Spectator (90 points) notes a “fresh and juicy” profile with an “understated style,” and reports 26,666 cases produced, with a drink window through 2033.