Fodor's Expert Review Clos du Val

Searching in the early 1970s for the best non-European site to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, this French-owned outfit's founding winemaker selected land now called Hirondelle Vineyard. He chose well: Clos du Val (in French, "small vineyard of a small valley") built its reputation on its intense estate Cabernet, made with the Stags Leap District vineyard's fruit. Grapes for the much-praised Bordeaux-style red blend also come from Hirondelle, the French word for "swallow," a bird species prevalent here. Guests sample these wines plus Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and sometimes others in a glass-fronted vineyard's-edge hospitality center (reservations required, same-day visits possible). In good weather, hosts retract the windows, unifying the tasting room, its flashy interiors by St. Helena–based designer Erin Martin, and the adjoining patio.