2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill
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Tasting notes
Blueberry, blackberry and blue-slate aromas. Medium body and firm, silky tannins. This is a little tight now, so give it two or three years to soften. Try after 2022.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The flagship is the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill, and this cuvée just about always represents the pinnacle of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. The 2017 is 100% estate Cabernet Sauvignon and reveals a deep purple color as well a stunning bouquet of blue fruits, burning embers, dark chocolate, sage brush, and crushed rocks. It's powerful, full-bodied, and concentrated, and the tannins clamp down on the finish enough to warrant hiding this beauty in the cellar for a solid 5-7 years. If drinking today, give it an hour or two in a decanter. It's another stunning wine from this estate.
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill is a positively stellar wine in this challenging year. Crème de cassis, licorice, lavender, chocolate, spice and espresso all run through the 2017. This is an especially inky, flamboyant style for Chappellet, but all the elements come together very nicely.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant black cherries, warm cassis, chocolate pie and blackberry preserves notes plus nuances of wild sage, forest floor and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is elegantly played and refreshing with velvety tannins and a long mineral-tinged finish.
About the producer
Founded in 1967, Chappellet is a pioneering, family-owned Napa Valley estate on Pritchard Hill, where it helped establish the tradition of high-elevation viticulture. Its mountain-grown wines are renowned for their depth, elegance and longevity, led by Cabernet Sauvignon.