2019 Chappellet 'Pritchard Hill' Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
The most sought-after wine in the Chappellet portfolio embodies the elegant power and complexity of Prichard Hill. It is, in a word, stunning.
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.
If you asked us for our list of Napa Valley wineries currently making the highest quality, most complete, most consistent, most interesting, most ageworthy wines for the money, Chappellet Winery would be at the top. Consider all the metrics: track record, intrinsic quality, taste of the soil, availability, quality-price rapport, freshness, and visceral excitement. Is this the finest winery, top-to-bottom, in the Napa Valley? Why are the wines so good? First, take a great terroir: volcanic terraces high on Pritchard Hill that were first planted in 1882. It’s no accident that Colgin, Continuum, and Bryant Family set up shop in the neighborhood. Then we have 47 years of accumulated knowledge from some of the best winemaking talent the valley has ever seen: Philip Togni, Joe Cafaro, Tony Soter, Cathy Corison and finally Philip Corallo-Titus, who has been at the winemaking helm since 1990. And finally there’s the huge Chappellet family, dedicated as a team to farm great grapes and make superb wines since 1968.
Wine Advocate
A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill is another wonderfully evocative triumph from this family-owned Pitchard Hill pioneer. Deep garnet-purple colored, it storms out of the glass with profound scents of crème de cassis, blackberry preserves, licorice and mulberries, plus hints of unsmoked cigars, wild sage and tar. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers fantastic intensity and great poise, offering fine-grained, ripe tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.
James Suckling
Blackberries, blueberries, black licorice, ink and flowers on the nose. Tar, too. Full-bodied with plush, integrated tannins that are intertwined to pure velvet. The finish goes on and on. Wonderful balance and harmony. 2022 release. So excellent to drink now, but will be even better in 2023 and onwards.
Jeb Dunnuck
The flagship from this great estate is the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill, which checks in as a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. It has an incredible nose of pure blue fruits as well as flowers, crushed stone, fresh thyme, tobacco, and graphite. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, it's nevertheless weightless and light on its feet, with wonderfully integrated acidity, polished tannins, and a great finish. This classic, quintessential Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise for 20, 30, if not 40 years if stored correctly. 3800 cases.