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Clos du Val, Pinot Noir 2016 (Los Carneros)
RedUnited States2016
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2019-12-14 · Published 2026-09-14 · Updated 2026-09-14
At a glance
Critic listed on Vivino: 87 (Oct 2017) · 90–92 (Oct 2017) · 89 (Jan 2019)
Market note: Price confirmation pending (US$45 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, last listed Aug 2024)). Clos du Val was founded in 1972 by John Goelet and Bordeaux-trained winemaker Bernard Portet, and entered its 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon in Steven Spurrier's 1976 blind tasting in Paris — the 'Judgment of Paris.' At the ten-year rematch hosted by the French Culinary Institute in 1986, that same 1972 Cabernet placed first overall.
What this wine is
Los Carneros sits at the southern tip of Napa Valley, cooled by fog and wind off San Pablo Bay. It's one of the few pockets of Napa suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay rather than Cabernet. Clos du Val was founded in 1972 by John Goelet and Bordeaux-trained winemaker Bernard Portet — the winery first made its name on Cabernet Sauvignon, but Carneros Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were part of the lineup from early on.
This 2016 is 100% Pinot Noir, listed on Vivino at 14.5% alcohol. The producer's note: "Aromatic spices awaken the nose with bright raspberry, red currant, and pomegranate. Rich complex layers of fruit and spice fill the mouth with notes of mature cherries. An elegant and lingering finish."
What the world says
Clos du Val shows up twice in wine history. In 1976, its 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the entries in Steven Spurrier's blind tasting in Paris — the 'Judgment of Paris' — the event where California wines beat storied French labels. A decade later, in 1986, answering skeptics who called it beginner's luck, the French Culinary Institute hosted a rematch, and this time the aged 1972 Clos du Val Cabernet placed first overall.
This 2016 Pinot Noir carries critic scores listed on Vivino in the 87–92 range, and the Vivino community's 290 ratings for this vintage average 4.1 (2,647 ratings across the whole label average 4.0). The leading flavor keywords are red fruit — raspberry, cherry, strawberry (254 mentions) — followed by oak, vanilla and nutmeg (181) and earthy, smoke and leather (135).
Lining my note up against those, item by item: the nose's "floral, vanilla, tobacco, oak, chocolate, almond, toast" maps closely onto the community's oak group (vanilla, nutmeg, chocolate); the palate's "raspberry, plum" onto the red- and black-fruit groups; and the finish's "leather, tannin" onto the earth-and-leather group (leather at 21 mentions). The structure data's tannin score of 2.1/5 reads lower than my "lots of tannins," but it doesn't contradict a structure where acidity, at 3.4, is the more prominent element.
"Where do you start with this?! Great first wine to have on a flight of wines. Very subtle and slightly earthy. Perfect amount of cherry and raspberry." — Vivino review, May 2020, 4.5 stars
How I drank it
December 14, 2019, 4.0 stars. "Deep purple. Nose is some flowers, vanilla, tobacco, oak, chocolate, almond, toast. Taste is toast, raspberry, plum. Last taste is leather, lots of tannins. Medium body."
The same day I logged Beringer's California Chardonnay at 3.0 — also in this batch. This is the most systematically kept note from that period, following color, then nose, then palate, then finish, so it was possible to line it up against the community data category by category — and nearly every category matched. My 4.0 is effectively the same as the Vivino community's 4.1.
Vivino community data
2016 vintage rating distribution (290 ratings, average 4.1)
| 5★ | 39 (13%) | |
| 4★ | 203 (70%) | |
| 3★ | 42 (14%) | |
| 2★ | 5 (2%) | |
| 1★ | 1 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Red fruit | 254 | raspberry 65 · cherry 61 · strawberry 61 · red fruit 18 · red cherry 15 |
| Oak | 181 | oak 47 · vanilla 39 · nutmeg 18 · chocolate 13 · cedar 12 |
| Earth & leather | 135 | earthy 50 · smoke 31 · leather 21 · mushroom 8 · forest floor 7 |
| Black fruit | 52 | plum 13 · black cherry 10 · blackberry 8 · dark fruit 5 · blueberry 4 |
| Spice | 42 | pepper 15 · cinnamon 10 · white pepper 5 · anise 4 · licorice 2 |
Structure: Acidity 3.4/5 · Intensity 3.0/5 · Tannin 2.1/5 · Sweetness 1.6/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 2647 ratings, average 4.0)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 4.1 | 41 |
| 2008 | 3.6 | 43 |
| 2009 | 3.9 | 55 |
| 2010 | 3.8 | 91 |
| 2011 | 4.0 | 97 |
| 2012 | 3.9 | 290 |
| 2013 | 4.0 | 256 |
| 2014 | 4.0 | 475 |
| 2015 | 4.0 | 387 |
| 2016 | 4.1 | 290 |
| 2017 | 4.3 | 194 |
| 2018 | 4.1 | 151 |
| 2019 | 4.3 | 77 |
My original note (Vivino, 2019-12-14)
“Deep purple. Nose is some flowers, vanilla, tobacco, oak, chocolate, almond, toast. Taste is toast, raspberry, plum, Last taste is leather, lots of tannins. Medium body.”
Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Clos du Val's Pinot Noir?
A 100% Pinot Noir red from Clos du Val in the cool Los Carneros AVA at the south end of Napa Valley. 14.5% alcohol, a style built on raspberry and cherry red fruit layered with oak, vanilla, earthiness and leather. Critic scores listed on Vivino run 87–92; this vintage sits at 4.1 on Vivino (290 ratings).
How much does it cost?
Price confirmation pending (US$45 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, last listed Aug 2024)).
What food pairs with it?
The Vivino community suggests veal, pork, poultry, and mushroom dishes.
What is Clos du Val's connection to the Judgment of Paris?
Clos du Val entered its 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 blind tasting in Paris that pitted French and California wines against each other — the 'Judgment of Paris.' At the 1986 rematch hosted by the French Culinary Institute, that same 1972 Cabernet placed first overall, proving its aging potential. It's a different wine from this Pinot Noir, but part of the same winery's history.