2013 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill gives gregarious crème de cassis, baked blackberries, black cherry compote and mocha notes with touches of camphor, star anise, violets and oolong tea. Full-bodied and packing a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins, with great freshness supporting the powerful, muscular fruit, it finishes very, very long. This should live forever.

A deep, inky wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill exudes richness and concentration. Blackberry jam, crème de cassis, graphite, mocha, smoke and spices meld together as this ample, structured Cabernet Sauvignon shows off its personality. The Pritchard Hill is made in a ripe, concentrated style that is quite typical of the vintage. At the same time, the impact of heavier extractions and more new oak also shapes the wine to a significant degree. I am not sure the Pritchard Hill is meaningfully more complex than the Signature, but it is quite striking just the same. As good as the 2013 is today - and it is terrific - my sense is that it would be even better with less oak influence. This is an especially somber, virile Cabernet Sauvignon from Chappellet.

Tasted from barrel, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill, boasts stunning depth and richness. Sage, rosemary, mint and spices wrap around a huge core of blue/purplish fruit as the 2013 races across the palate. This is another wine for the exceedingly patient. There is no shortage of personality here, though. The balance of fruit, minerality and acidity is magnificent.