Chappellet, Artist Series Clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Merlot (14%), Malbec (6%) and Petit Verdot (4%) harvested between October 14th and 27th. Aged in French oak barrels, typically from 18 to 22 months. 14,9% alcohol, 5,8 g/l acidity and pH 3,84. Fully opaque, moderately evolved blackish-maroon color. The nose feels quite sweet and moderately evolved with aromas of dried black cherries and wizened blackcurrants, some licorice tones, a little bit of dark plummy fruit, light toasty notes of mocha oak, a hint …

2010 vintage

Excellent after 2 hours in the glass!!! Drank this at 15 years of age. Powerful bouquet. Cassis, black fruits, cedar cigar box, mint. Refreshing. Medium finish. Well-integrated tannins. Paired with NY steak.

2010 vintage

Decanted 90 minutes with additional time in bottle. Very expressive nose with beautiful balancr; nice length. Tannins present but resplve with air. Lovely wine.

2010 vintage

This is now very balanced and round. Very little tannin is detectable. Was a great accompaniment to our dry-aged steaks. Soft and very pleasant finish. I will say this is at or even past its peak. Drink ‘em if you have ‘em. It won’t get any better than it is right now.

2010 vintage

Smooth finish. Blackberries

2010 vintage

Pop & pour. Dark fruit with nice tannin structure but seemed out of balance. Much better on Day 2.

2010 vintage

Drink now. Share with Jaffer! Maybe a flight tasting of all the vintages with friends.

2010 vintage

From magnum, opened a couple hours beforehand without decant. Beautiful nose, deep and full of fruit hinting at the darker stuff within. Very well-balanced and not monstrously complex but has both sides on the coin: pure fruit vs savory secondary elements. Very nice. Curious to see how the remnant of this bottle plays in a few days.

2010 vintage

92 points - Decanted for 3 hours and enjoyed with a NY strip. Cassis and pencil lead. Very nicely balanced at this point between fruit and earth-tones. Hard to say if this is at its peak but it doesn’t seem far off

2010 vintage

Really needs time to open up but worth the wait! Opened 1 1/2 hrs before drinking. Starts a little muted with deep black fruits, some forest floor, & raspberry. Over the next couple of hours really blossomed. A little chocolate, plum, black raspberry.

2010 vintage

W whole duck - maybe it was the meal but this was nice but not expected from Chappellet with 10 yra on it. Bit flat in many respects.

2010 vintage

Very dark red with a garnet hue, 2mm clear edge. PNP, drank a couple glasses over 3 hours. 76CS, 13M, 7Mal, 4PV. This was all about the fruit to start, dark plum and black cherry a little green pepper, oak, clove and white pepper. The purity of the fruit shows and after a good hour the dry forest floor notes burst forth to really complement the fruit along with adding fennel, tobacco and cassis. The palate is deep and well …

2010 vintage

Not surprisingly, this was basically identical to my most recent previous bottle three months ago. When younger, these wines are OK to good, but after ten years, they really punch above their weight. Just freakin' delicious. Don't know how much longer it will stay here, but this is at its peak.

2010 vintage

Drink with dry-aged steak

2010 vintage

OK, I'm confused. A bottle five months ago seemed to be over-the-hill. Another bottle three months ago was just fine. This one was freakin' delicious. Black cherries have now joined the chorus of plums, tobacco, and licorice, giving the wine a lighter, brighter profile. Not to be overly technical, but this wine was just yummy. Nice balance, weight, texture, and viscosity, with - needless to say - a terrific finish. Probably at its peak.

2010 vintage

Don't know if it's bottle variation or Night Train variation, but I liked this better than a bottle just two months ago. Unlike the last bottle, this one had enough structure to stand up to a grilled steak. On both the nose and on the palate, it showed plums and quite a bit of both tobacco and licorice. Rich texture and a solid finish. Nevertheless, holding onto these much longer would be tempting fate.

2010 vintage

In a really lovely place. Dark lush but balanced fruit, perfectly integrated but ample structure. Classic napa cab.

2010 vintage

Pretty much what I expected, although I may have held too long. Mostly plums on the nose. Plums and a healthy dose of tobacco on the palate. Fairly plush texture and a very good finish. A little less structure than I would have preferred, but that's probably attributable to my excess patience. Solid Napa cab at a great price.

2010 vintage

Drink now or in the next 2 years I think. Very typical wine for Chapplet and for the vintage. Nice mountain fruit, well balanced, very similar to the Signature cab but with a touch less structure and texture. Drink with a bit of air and at about 60 degrees F, not too warm. I suspect lower ratings for this wine recently were the result of drinking it too warm.

2010 vintage

Drinking perfectly right now, great pairing with the Chappellet zoom session on 40 years of Signature Cabernet's tonight

2010 vintage

Very dark red color. PNP, drank two glasses over 3 hours. Brought this to the Ranch to have with my dad. Lovely nose of pretty dark mountain berries with red fruit top notes, nice purity, great wood notes, cedarbox on the nose. The palate is full bodied, classic and pure with a fantastic mix of red and black/blue fruit, bold tobacco, minerals, polished tannins and a nicely integrated wood framing.

2010 vintage

Good body, tannins balanced with peppery spice.

2010 vintage

Excellent. Well structured, solid tannins without overpowering the dark fruit. We liked the bouquet so much we just sat and sniffed it for a couple of minutes before drinking. Drank over 90 minutes and it never diminished in power. Just got better.

2010 vintage

30 minute decant. Medium eggplant in color, this wine shows focused aromas of black currant, blackberry, lead pencil, cigar box and graphite on the nose. The mouth feel is full bodied with approachable tannins and more black fruits and tobacco undertones. The finish is very open and medium in length. 14.9% abv. Purchased for $45US, this is a very well made wine clearly in its prime drinking window. The high abv is kept in check. If tasted blind, this leans …

2010 vintage

Half hour breathing time prior to pour. Paired with grilled beef fillet, asparagus and carrots. Initial reaction is primarily indifference. Probably needed more time for the wine to open. I opened the bottle as a back up to another red I hadn’t expected to have aged well, but it did. Perhaps my 2nd day experience notes will say something. 2nd day confirms this needed more air before drinking, or more aging, or both.

2010 vintage

This is a napa cab that leans old world. Very good balance and flavors. Drinking great now with 1 hour decant.

2010 vintage

Drinking well, better on the second day.

2010 vintage

I think this the best Chappellet Signature CS I’ve had. It has taken age well and is beautiful right now. The fruit has receded which has made the earthy notes and slight bottle bouquet more prominent. Pencil lead, cigar box, leather, tobacco and despite less fruit flavor it still has power and vibrancy of a young wine.

2010 vintage

Excellent! Minimal tannens and very bold.

2010 vintage

Dark fruit--more blackberry and blueberry than the currant that I often get with Cabernet Sauvignon. Some salinity, mid-palate. Interesting herbalness--almost, but not quite, minty--under the rear palate. Mostly, resolved tannins. I definitely do not regret pulling this one to give more room for aging others. Very good wine.

2010 vintage

This is a decent wine but I was expecting more. The fruit is a little muddied. Tannins are smooth. This is enjoyable but not amazing. I suspect this has started the downslope. Drink it if you have it within the next year or two at most.

2010 vintage

Very solid. PnP. At it's peak now and probably will be for another 2-3 years at most. Beautifully integrated reserved dark fruit and tannins. Graphite and a hint of vanilla round it out.

2010 vintage

Intersting blend. Very fruit forward with a dry finish. Strawberry and chocolate fill the glass

2010 vintage

Mellow tannins well integrated. Hints of eucalyptus.

2010 vintage

Poured some w my Coravin, decanted 2 hrs. Still hot on the initial taste but it’s paired w a smooth, mellow style of cab. Maybe needs longer decant? Will see how it tastes later!

2010 vintage

I wish Chappellet was still doing the Cab Clone series. This is really good right now. Dark fruit profile, black licorice, pencil lead. Medium-plus body. I opened one bottle in the first year and the tannins were harsh but at this point they are well integrated.

2010 vintage

This wine is drinking well right now.

2010 vintage

Some big tannins, not quite ready yet though. Body was medium to full but a bit light for the tannin level. Nothing notable on the palate or nose but still a solid effort.

2010 vintage

W duck conft with carrots. Good combo. Yummy wine with great structure. Good dark color, nice fruit and spice on the nose and solid weight on palate. Good finish with. Got better again as night went on. Yummy!

2010 vintage

at steak dinner. Real good still but tight. Goes very well with steak. Strong finish. 3 more yrs

2010 vintage

Okay, but not very fruity or complex.

2010 vintage

Yup. Good. Go figure. A different flavor profile than a regular Napa Cab. Darker, Smokier. I guess that is the point of a single clone wine. Truly delicious.

2010 vintage

Still room to mature but an amazing cab! Tobacco, cloves, black fruit on the nose with a hint of vanilla... Long round finish on palate with chewy cherry at the end

2010 vintage

Huge, young, rich, tannic. Needs a couple hours. Gorgeous wine. Tasted at the winery first. Bought a case. This will improve for at least a dozen years. Just a fantastic offering from my current favorite winery.

2010 vintage

Napa Valley Wine and Food Excursion 2013; 9/30/2013-10/5/2013 (Napa Valley, California) : This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon offering is rich and expansive, with black currant, plum, anise, fig and coriander dominating both the nose and palate. Fleshy and fresh, it hides its alcohol (14.5%) nicely but does have a firm tannic backbone. Solid in the middle, the wine concludes with a lengthy but somewhat dry finish. This is a Cabernet with excellent purity of fruit and all the components to ultimately …

2010 vintage

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Chappellet, Artist Series Clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

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