If you see the words, Chappellet and Pritchard Hill on the same bottle, you know the wine is definitely going to be a winner. I have reviewed this wine for many years and it has always been an exceptional bottle. This iteration offers a little more bright fruit than in recent vintages. An hour of decanting at a minimum is my suggested practice. In return, what emerges is a more harmonious blend of fruit, wood, acidity and tannins to create a drinking experience that is on par with what Napa Cabernet has come to mean. Dark red and black fruits of blackberry, huckleberry, Cassis, and black cherry, dominate this wine, with back notes of light sage, vanilla, delicate sandalwood, plum, a hint of apricot and sugared almond. Both the tannins and acidity are fairly mild and keep everything in check so the balance remains on the fruit and the wood integration into that fruit. Comprised entirely of Cabernet Savignon and a scant 6% Petite Verdot, it was then aged entirely in new French oak barrels for just under two years. ORIGIN:Napa. ALCOHOL: 14.8%
