Chappellet, Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Purple hue. Black cherry, mushrooms, black pepper on the nose. Palate is very dark, fruit forward. Full body, jammy, stewed black cherries, plums, lighter mushroom than the nose, some vanilla & black pepper, a bit of prune. Tannins, soft & chewy, but definitely present. Drank well after a couple hours decanting, but can likely live in the bottle a few more years. Great example of a powerful California cab.

2008 vintage

Retains a lot of its youth: still a deep ruby red with lots of primary fruit on the nose and palate. Alcohol pretty visible on the nose too. Tannins are still powerful and balanced by a nice acidity. Plenty of oak and vanilla and strong leather, tobacco and mushroom notes indicate this wine is coming along very nicely.

2008 vintage

Typical black and mountain fruit profile of Chappellet. I get cassis, vanilla, and oak/ leather notes. Silky tannins softened after 4 hours of decanting, still has that violet color- from the PV with a long finish. Given the fact that 2008 was not a spectacular year, but this one was outstanding.

2008 vintage

With the Eatons

2008 vintage

Elegant and well balanced. Drinking perfectly now. Drank over two days, great on both.

2008 vintage

This is aging great. Worth the wait.

2008 vintage

Murky, almost prune color. Astringent nose of dark berry. Typical CS dark berry--currant, blackberry, blueberry--fruit flavors on the tip of the tongue. However, it is fairly subtle and without that "sweet" sensation. Quite nice. Tannin is, pretty much, resolved, A touch of acidity. A full-bodied wine with a nice finish.

2008 vintage

PnP and drank over an hour. Wine is fading for my palate anyway. Not bad but lost a step since my last tasting 9 months ago.

2008 vintage

Big time Napa Cab. Every bit as good as anticipated. Smooth and lush, with amazingly deep flavor profile.

2008 vintage

No notes due to a night of wonderful over consumption. 1hr decant and drank over another 2. Very enjoyable but not nearly on par with the rest of the lineup- a bit unfair and have another two bottles to taste in a more fair setting. 93-94

2008 vintage

Such an amazing wine and hitting it’s prime right now with loads of oaky vanilla luscious dark fruit like blueberries and black raspberry and subtle leather.

2008 vintage

Pulled from Cellar by accident. I thought I had the CabFranc. Brought to dinner at Jenny & Rudy (Karl/Stacey). With lamb. VERY good this, just balanced, powerful but elegant and interesting dark fruits. Will live a long time still.

2008 vintage

14.9% alcohol, medium to heavy foil, real cork, medium legs, dark purple/brown; nose of yeast, savory/sharp fruit & alcohol; opened, vinturied, and tasted right away at ca 17 degrees C; tasting revealed pleasantly muted tannins, minerals, earth, kiwi, stone fruits; full bodied; the wine comes roaring down the tongue as rhubarb and ends up in the back as lychee/mango, with a long succulent finish; the 10 years of aging haven't hurt this wine in the least and it would doubtless …

2008 vintage

Very nice wine just starting to reach optimal drinking. This cork was BLACK when it was popped. Lots of tartrate. The wine poured pretty much black into the glass with a dark maroon meniscus. The notes on this one were tar, cola, blackberry, and dark chocolate. On the palate was more blackberry and tar up front, fig and dark chocolate in the middle. Lots of black fruit, cola, and dark baking chocolate on the finish. This is a DENSE wine …

2008 vintage

Decanted for 2 hours which it needed. Great wine for Open that bottle night!

2008 vintage

Perfect time for this. Rambunctious was a good word. Good fruit still with early spice and herbs. So well balanced. Loved it.

2008 vintage

Third bottle after 97 Insignia and 97 Mondavi Reserve. With lamb at JTCMs bday with Rudy & Jenny. This is very good but still very young and I think maybe closed? On palate this was darkish but didnt really speak, like the Mondavi. Give it 5 more years. What a great evening!!!

2008 vintage

Really good. Dark purple. Fruit it just starting to mature and throw off secondary notes of spice. This is going where I like it - rambunctious fruit subsiding, maturity rearing it's head. Integration is good but will get much better in 1 or 2 years and be in a perfect window. You won't be disappointed now, but a little time and patience will reward you.

2008 vintage

Last of the three blind tasted red this evening. Definitely showed as the youngest of the group. Deep garnet red. Nose was caked in dark fruits and spices with a touch of anise and heat. Moderate tannins (6.5/10) and full bodied. Well integrated flavors with black berries, cinnamon and spices all mixed together. A touch dry on the long finish. Drink till 2022.

2008 vintage

Light petroleum on the nose. Short decant - needed more Dark chocolate in the finish. Not fully integrated but outstanding with my ribeye. Definitely a meat wine which would help it approach 94. On its own a bit harsh. I would drink in 2020.

2008 vintage

One hour decant, then followed over next three hours. Needed all that air, maybe even more. An excellent cab, but has even more to give with added bottle age. Suggest a long decant if drinking now, or hold for 3-5 years.

2008 vintage

Decanted two bottles for two hours and then drank over the next three hours. Very mellow and rounded wine bringing out a lot of complex flavors. Very dark and velvety rich. Long finish. I'd say the wine is close to its peak right now. From the professional reviews to the reviews by real people on this site, it appears to have gotten much better over time. The scores now reflect a great time to drink it now.

2008 vintage

Purchased on fall '16 visit to winery from their library, shipped home, and popped at holiday party. Decanted 4 hrs with small samples on the hr. Upon open, very dark purple with strong nose of black fruit, was very tight and clearly needed time. By third hr, it had expanded and at fourth hr tasted fantastic. My new favorite.

2008 vintage

very impressive Cab.

2008 vintage

Give it 4 hours in the decanter.

2008 vintage

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Chappellet, Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

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