98pts Wine Advocate
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. It was aged in 100% new French oak for 22 months. The alcohol weighed in at 14.5%. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out of the gate with bold expressions of warm cassis, wild blueberries and black raspberries, plus hints of chocolate box, menthol, tapenade, smoked meats and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is bursting with vibrant black fruits, framed by fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.
96pts Decanter
Fabulous nose on this wine, rich, ripe, full-throttle Cabernet cassis with added complexity from graphite and leaf. Despite being so expressive, you get the impression there is still so much more to come. In the mouth, the fruit flavours encompassing fresh currants, plums and cranberries, are vibrant, condensed and sweet. The body mass is dense and weighty on the mid palate. Beautiful drive to this wine, it tastes 'alive', the acidity perfectly balancing the ripeness of the fruit and the fruit and oak tannins perfectly aligned and just beginning to resolve. The finish is long and powerful revealing this wine's long ageing potential. Superb example of site-specific Napa Cabernet.
95pts Wine Enthusiast
This impressive wine is fresh in crisp red fruit and dried herb and is tightly grippy in mountain tannin and powerful strength. With 10% Petit Verdot it broods in dark inky color and mocha-rich intensity, with a depth of elegant structure that should give it plenty of life in the cellar.
Winemakers Notes
Embodying the essence of great mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and the majestic terroir or Pritchard Hill, this wine is gloriously opulent and elegant, immediately demanding attention with aromas of violet, black currant, cassis, ripe blackberry, graphite and sweet smoke. As it opens up, fascinating layers of sandalwood and cardamom emerge, as well as hints of vanilla bean, nutmeg, dark chocolate and anise. On the impeccably balanced palate, complex flavors of ripe dark berries and spice dominate, framed by silky, polished tannins that carry the flavors to a long, epic finish.
History
For more than four decades, the Chappellet family has been crafting world-class wines from fruit cultivated on the steep, rocky slopes of Napa Valley's renowned Pritchard Hill. As one of the first wineries to pioneer high-elevation hillside planting, and one of the few remaining great family-owned Napa Valley wineries, Chappellet Vineyard and Winery has influenced generations of vintners. Throughout its history, Chappellet has also established an enduring legacy as one of California's most acclaimed producers of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Chappellets' romance with Pritchard Hill began when Donn and Molly Chappellet first glimpsed the mountain's spectacular vistas in the late 1960s. Inspired by the notion that Bacchus loves the hills, Donn and Molly followed the advice of legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff and settled on the rocky eastern slopes of the Napa Valley. There, on the mountain’s serene and picturesque hillsides, the Chappellets established their home and winery, raising their children and cultivating the vineyards.
Since being founded by Donn and Molly in 1967, Chappellet has earned acclaim championing the robust power and complexity of wines crafted from mountain grapes. At the same time, Chappellet has helped to establish Pritchard Hill as one of California’s most revered winegrowing sites. To honor the mountain's rich, expressive character, the winemaking team focuses on creating extraordinary, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignons that embody the intensity and finesse of fruit from Pritchard Hill.