Winemaker Notes
The wine was aged for 22 months in 80 percent new French oak, and for an additional six months in bottle prior to release. Grown exclusively on rocky, mountainside vineyards, our Cabernets have consistently displayed an ability to age for several decades.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Firm and concentrated, with taut, vibrant mineral, blackberry, wild berry and black cherry fruit that gives this a rich core of flavors. Deep and concentrated, ending with a long, persistent finish. Best from 2011 through 2017.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The medium to deep garnet colored 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 9% Merlot and 3% Malbec, gives intense scents of wild blueberries, black cherries and warm black currants with touches of cigar box, black olives and menthol. Full-bodied, rich and spicy in the mouth, it has wonderfully ripe, plush tannins, with a lively backbone carrying the concentrated flavors to a long finish.
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.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.