TASTING NOTES
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant black cherries, warm cassis, chocolate pie and blackberry preserves notes plus nuances of wild sage, forest floor and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is elegantly played and refreshing with velvety tannins and a long mineral-tinged finish.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate. Tasting date: October, 2019
ABOUT CHAPPELLET WINERY
Chappellet Winery is a wine producer based in the Napa Valley. Donn and Molly Chappellet started the winery in 1967 by purchasing land on Pritchard Hill at the advice of legendary California winemaker André Tchelistcheff. Pritchard Hill was an appealing site for a vineyard due to its steep aspect, high elevation and east-facing slopes. Chappellet remains family-owned and in 2011 bought the Sonoma County-based producer, Sonoma-Loeb, who had made its wines at the Chappellet winery for over two decades.
VITICULTURE
GROWING SEASON
Current condition: Ready to drink, will keep
The 2017 California vintage is likely to be most remembered for the extraordinary October wildfires.
An intensely wet winter saw severe flooding but after what had been a long drought, the rains did bring some benefits – namely rejuvenating the water content...
WINEMAKING
The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon has been their flagship wine for more than three decades. It is a benchmark for the long-lived hillside wines of the Napa Valley; full of structure and aging potential, yet seductively forward in its concentrated varietal character. The dry, rocky soils of Pritchard Hill produce small, intensely flavorful grapes. Crop thinning allows for full, even ripening and elevates flavor complexity.
