By the time I entered the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, ultimately becoming a wine fanatic and teacher, I heard consistent talk about a former student named Frank Woods, who got bitten by the wine bug and started Clos du Bois winery in Sonoma’s Alexander Valley. His first vintage from his fertile 520 acres took place in 1974, two years after my graduation, and Frank was off to the races. He continued cranking out vintages from his newfangled winery whilst building Clos du Bois’ reputation. Ultimately, he left the winery in 1988, and the outfit was sold to high-quality portfolio owner Constellation Brands in 2000. Since then, in my view, the winery has continued to grow and improve.
Recently, I was overjoyed to sample two of the current offerings of Clos du Bois, both of which I recommend. One is a definite star performer. Here are my notes on these two wines:
1) Clos du Bois Chardonnay, 2010, North Coast, $15. Light vanilla hue with generous, almost cloying body. The nose projected generous notes of apple, pear and peach with a tad of vanilla (malolactic fermentation plus a bit of oak aging, methinks). In the mouth, this had generous feel and roundness combined with lightly bracing acidity, ending in a clean, long finish. B+
2) Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007, Sonoma Reserve, $22. Brilliant clear purple hue with profoundly heavy body. The nose was typical of nicer wines from Alexander Valley, exhibiting deep notes of intense, rich plum and wild blueberries combined with dark cherry and currant, with a background whisper of minty chocolate. On the palate, it was richly round and satisfyingly deep with more rich suggestions of fruit. Wonderfully satisfying finish with great length. A beauty that I’d readily stack up against others like Silver Oak! A+. Buy!
Although both wines were quite surprisingly nice, I’d have to enthusiastically pull my award trigger for the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Truly, I regard this as a serious world contender.
Cheers to you, Frank Woods and Constellation!
