John Gilman

The 1978 Clos du Val “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon is also outstanding and shows quite a bit more mid-plate sappiness than the regular version. The nose wafts from the glass in an equally elegant blend of cassis, black cherry, Cuban cigar, dark soil tones gentle scents of violet and a lovely topnote of currant leaf. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and very refined in profile, with a superb core of sappy black fruit, suave, fine-grained and melting tannins and excellent focus and grip on the complex and seamless finish. This is stellar and was one of my favorite wines from our tasting, which is pretty high praise, given that we had most of the biggest names from 1978 on the table! Great juice with decades of exemplary drinking still ahead of it.

(01/2017)

Wine Spectator

Ripe and opulent, with rich, complex layers of currant, anise and cherry-scented flavors. The tannins are firm but polished. Drinking exceptionally well now and should hold through 1998.--1978 California Cabernet horizontal. (JL)

(11/1992)

Jancis Robinson

...simpler and more earthbound than the Monte Bellos on the nose but with great concentration. Impressive. Still some vigour here. Bought from Reid Wines in the UK. Bernard Portet was presumably pretty impressed and denoted it Reserve. 18/20 points. (JR)