From: Napa, California, USA
Varietals: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec, 3% Merlot
Tasting Notes: Luxuriously dark and concentrated, this wine displays alluring aromas of cassis, dark cherry, spiced plum, chocolate, and sweet baking spices, with hints of toasted oak, cardamom, clove and vanilla from aging in French oak. On the palate, this wine is voluptuously full bodied, with a lavish structure and supple tannins framing the ripe dark berry and black currant flavors. As it glides to a long resonant finish, sophisticated hints of espresso, cedar cigar box, anise and fresh herbs emerge, adding nuance and depth.
Pairing: As with any Cabernet Sauvignon, red meat will be an ideal pairing–particularly if it is cooked in red wine. The opulent harmony of dark fruited structure and savory spice elements in this wine allows it to pair beautifully with the bold flavors in Melissa Clark’s recipe for Pressure Cooker Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine and Chile.
Critical Acclaim: “Always a smoking value that readers shouldn't miss, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Signature sports a dense purple color to go with beautiful cassis and blueberry-like fruits as well as bouquet garni, spice, and obvious, rocky mineral-like aromas and flavors. Rich and medium to full-bodied, with notable structure and good acidity, it's going to keep for two decades in cold cellars. It's a candidate for the best Napa Cabernet under $100.” –Jeb Dunnuck, 94 points (March 2022)
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Signature is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec and 3% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps with open-knit notes of warm cassis and plum preserves, plus hints of tobacco leaf, bouquet garni and cedar chest. The medium to full-bodied palate is firm and crunchy with bags of bright fruit and a grainy texture, finishing lifted.” –Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 93 points (November 2021)
About. For more than four decades, the Chappellet family has been crafting world-class wines from fruit cultivated on the steep, rocky slopes of Napa Valley's renowned Pritchard Hill. As one of the first wineries in California to pioneer high-elevation hillside planting, and one of the few remaining great family-owned Napa Valley wineries, Chappellet Vineyard and Winery has influenced generations of vintners. Throughout its history, Chappellet has also established an enduring legacy as one of California's most acclaimed producers of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Chappellets' romance with Pritchard Hill began when Donn and Molly Chappellet first glimpsed the mountain's spectacular vistas in the late 1960s. Inspired by the notion that Bacchus loves the hills, Donn and Molly followed the advice of legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff and settled on the rocky eastern slopes of the Napa Valley. There, on the mountain’s serene and picturesque hillsides, the Chappellets established their home and winery, raising their children and cultivating the vineyards.
Chappellet has helped to establish Pritchard Hill as one of California’s most revered winegrowing sites. To honor the mountain's rich, expressive character, the winemaking team focuses on creating extraordinary, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignons that embody the intensity and finesse of fruit from Pritchard Hill.