1986 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

For nearly twenty years I have lamented the compact, sterile filtered style produced at Clos du Val. While the 1986's color is still a youthful deep ruby, the bouquet offers only vague, earthy, curranty fruit notes. On the palate, the wine is extremely shrill, with high acidity, some spice, and compressed, medium-bodied, astringently tannic texture and flavors. Although it is slightly above average, it seems to be frozen in place. While it will keep for another decade, it will never provide complexity or joy ... a testament to the bankruptcy of making California wine as if it were an industrial product. The tasting notes for this section are from two single blind tastings, one conducted in May, 1996, in California, and the other in June, 1996, in Baltimore.