Showing posts with label Chappellet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chappellet. Show all posts

Friday, June 30, 2023

Chappellet "Signature" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Chappellet "Signature" Napa Valley Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon at Angeli's Italian 2006

Friday night dinner out, we dined at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria. I took BYOB this aged vintage Napa Cabernet for the occasion. It was a perfect complement pairing with my basic Spaghetti and Meatballs with Bolognase Sauce entree, and Linda's Salmon.

Our exploration of Napa Valley Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignons continues. Over the past two weeks we tasted two other Pritchard Hill labels, Cloud View Vineyards, and the week before we had David Arthur Cabernets at a separate dinner. 

I wrote in detail about the history and unique terroir of Pritchard Hill at the time and mentioned the broad number of ultra-premium labels produced there by legendary top tier producers. 

No discussion of Pritchard Hill is complete without mention Donn Chappellet and his history as one of the first modern era producers to settle that and his presence today as the largest vineyard holdings in the area. 

Hence it was only fitting to include Chappellet "Signature" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in any discussion and review of Pritchard Hill wines. For more than 30 years, the "Signature" Cabernet Sauvignon label has been Chappellet's flagship wine.

This is the oldest of a half dozen vintages we hold of this label in our cellar. It calls for going out and buying the latest release to replace it to keep the collection going. 

We visited the Chappellett estate vineyards (shown at bottom) and winery up on Pritchard Hill during our Napa Wine Experience back in 2009.

At seventeen years of age, this was consistent with, but better than my previous tasting of this wine back in 2011 as the wine has developed in the bottle aging for another decade. 

This release was awarded 94 points and a 'Cellar Selection' by Wine Enthusiast, and one of the Top 100 Wines of 2009 and Highly Recommended, 94 points by Wine Spectator. Wine Advocate gave it 93 points and said it was "one of the most impressive 2006s I tasted".James Suckling gave it 92 points and Jancis Robinson 18/20 points.

This is actually a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 76%, Merlot 18%, Malbec 4%, and Petit Verdot 2%.

Tonight's tasting was consistent with what I wrote back in 2011, "Dark inky purple color - medium-full bodied, complex and concentrated blackberry and black raspberry fruits in a tightly wound core accented by spicy oak on a balanced structured tannin finish." 

It's complexity featured highlights of currant fruits and anise with notes of tobacco, dark mocha chocolate, and hints of cedar on the long finish. 

Tonight I rated this 93 points, vs the 92 points from my earlier review. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3490696

https://chappellet.com/

https://twitter.com/Chappellet_wine 

@Chappellet_wine


 

 



Monday, May 22, 2017

B-day wine-flt Darioush-Chappellet

Birthday dinner features a medley of favorite wines ...

For a dinner on my birthday, Linda prepared grilled strip steaks, mashed golden potatoes, green beans and corn, followed by chocolate silk pie with fresh berries. Bill and Beth C joined us, back visiting from SC wrapping up real estate. I pulled from the cellar Darioush Napa Valley Cabernet which was the wine we had at our first wine event together years ago. I selected a 2000 vintage bottle from the near dozen vintages available, as the one most ready to consume. For a mini horizontal tasting, to pair with it for a comparison, I pulled another 2000 vintage Napa Cab, Chappellet Pritchard Hill. Bill brought a Giscours Bordeaux.

Darioush Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

For my birthday dinner, I pulled from the cellar one of nearly a dozen vintages we hold of this top flight Napa Cab. We've enjoyed Darioush Cabernet at several visits to their magnificent winery Chateau on the Silverado Trail in Napa, and at special events including a special Darioush Wine Dinner at Everest in Chicago. We had a special barrel tasting at the winery back during our 2003 Napa Wine Experience.

My last tasting notes for this wine were back in 2010, when I wrote "dark color - big forward firm intense dark fruit - black cherry, dark berry, tobacco, cigar box and touch of leather. Not for the feint of heart - needs big bold food."

This showed bright vibrant dark sweet berry fruits, was smooth polished and well balanced with layers of accent tones of mocha, tea and tobacco leaf, with a firm backbone of silky tannins on the finish.

RM 92 points,

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=551751


Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard 2000

We tasted this wine with Bill and Beth at the winery during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2009.

At seventeen years, this is not showing any signs of diminution. This was more subdued than the Darioush, almost closed and tight in comparison. Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, dark blackberry and black cherry fruit with tones of graphite, black tea, earthy leather, and tobacco.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3461


Château Giscours 2004

Giscours is one of the typically reliable higher QPR (qiality price ratio) value Margaux Bordeaux which were the highlight of this years 2014 release tasting.

I wonder if this bottle was perhaps tainted a bit. Garnet colored, medium bodied, there was a bit of earthiness barnyard funkiness permeating the black cherry, tea, graphite and leather, hint of spice and cassis, giving way to lingering acidity and tannins.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (32%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (3%).

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=97901





Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Porto 1995

Excerpts of various fellow Cellartracker members' tasting notes ...

"An explosion of sweet black cherry and plum flavors in the mouth, followed by dark, dark chocolate, coffee, and lovely chewy tannins, with a finish that goes on and on and on.'

"Nose is Leather and dark sweet fruit, with perfect alcohol. The palate is beautifully balanced with tobacco, leather, a spicy element and strong fruit undercurrent without being too jam..'

"Remarkably concentrated, long and velvety. Great acids breaking up the small sweetness. Ends with distinct tannin and much fruit. Leather restrained today, and only on the mid-palate. Quite dramatic array of spicy notes and dried fruits of various kinds.'

"Incrementally even better than before. I've had a bunch of bottles of this since 2008 and it has stayed remarkably consistent. Dark, dark fruit on the nose with leather, integrated alcohol. Palate is balanced with tobacco, modest spice component, leather, and big fruit undercurrent yet still has an astringency that keeps it organized."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1918

Thursday, December 22, 2011

2006 Napa Cabernets for Festive Holiday and 5 Year Anniversary Celebration Dinner

2006 Napa Cabernets for Festive Holiday and 5 Year Anniversary Celebration Dinner

For this gala family dinner celebrating Erin & Johnny's 5th anniversary as well as early pre-Christmas we opened two 2006 vintage Napa Cabernet Sauvignons to accompany the beef tenderloin, twice baked potatoes, spinach and smoked Gouda cheese dip, artisan Fair Oaks Farm Ementheler cheese and four cheesecake medley deserts - turtle, caramel, berry-cream, and tiramirsou. 

Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauivignon 2006
Deck the Halls with boughs of holly ... We discovered Hall wines during our Napa Wine Experience 2003 with their moderrn op-art scuplture garden. The 2006 vintage was a high achievement for this Estate standard label Napa Cabernet with a Wine Spectator 93 point rating. Their flagship wine, Katheryn Hall 2006, was #20 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2010 with a score of 96 points!. This year it was selected the #2 Wine of the Year in Wine Spectator's annual roundup.

This wine opened with a vibrant forward layer of cedar/camphor which burned off after an hour to reveal the sweet ripe berry fruits. Dark inky color, rich, dense, concentrated, style, full-bodied, fruit forward ripe sweet currant, ripe black raspberry, plum, black cherry fruits with hints of milk chocolate and vanilla on a long soft tannin finish. Not as lush and jammy as earlier tasting notes.

RM 93 points. 

http://www.hallwines.com


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=761928


Chappellet Signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauivignon 2006

We visited Chapellet Vineyards up on Pritchard Hill high above Napa town during our Napa Valley Wine Experience - Autumn '09. 


Dark inky purple color - medium-full bodied, complex and concentrated blackberry and black raspberry fruits in a tightly wound core accented by spicy oak on a balanced structured tannin finish.


This is actually a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 76%, Merlot 18%, Malbec 4%, and Petit Verdot 2%.

RM 91 points.


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=595997


http://www.chappellet.com/

Picturesque Pritchard Hill
overlooking Napa Valley