Winemaker Notes
This lush and layered Bordeaux blend begins with alluring fruit-driven aromas of cherry, currant, and plum, as well as sophisticated undercurrents of graphite, cedar, clove and nutmeg. The berry and spice notes are echoed on the round, mouth-coating palate, where they mingle with hints of black tea, vanilla, and savory herbs. An underpinning of tannins provides weight, structure and impressive length to the finish.
Blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Chappellet Mountain Cuvée is a beautiful red deftly combining Bordeaux varietals. TASTING NOTES: This wine is firm and tasty. Its nicely-focused aromas and flavors of black fruit and licorice stay long and persistent through the wine's finish. Pair it with a juicy, grilled ribeye. (March 14, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
Phillip Corallo-Titus blends this wine from estate-grown fruit and purchased grapes, including cabernet sauvignon (55 percent), merlot (28 percent), malbec, petit verdot and cabernet franc. It has blue-sky flavors of ripe berries, with a little thunder of volatility in the tannins. Give it plenty of time in a decanter and the storms settle into an elegant, open and airy red, the fruit finely embedded into the tannins. Best Buy
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.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.