Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2022 vintage. Part IV of this 2022 Marc Morey Chassagne-Montrachet premmie cru vintage journey. Les Vergers (tasted 5.15.25 and 10.24.25 both 9.4). Les Chenevottes (3.4.26 rating 9.4). En Virendot (3.9.26 rating 9.4). Still have at least a few of all of these. None of them are on the wine list, and frankly, may leave them all off and just hand sell to appreciative white Burg aficionados. This go round…more historically familiar with Caillerets vs the previously mentioned plots. Held up exceedingly well. As with the other efforts mentioned, plenty of ginger notes/influence. Acidity present and accounted for. Not as much as expected mineral visitation but enough to do the plot justice. Restrained, spicy oak power points. A finish that goes on longer than an Alex Lifeson Hemispheres solo and nearly as good. Marc Morey nailed it for this vintage. All the same, we take our chances. 5.3.26. — 2 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

A tribute to the crest called Rattlesnake Hill, highest point of Monte Rosso Vineyard, famous for rattlesnakes living among the vines, seeking sunshine by day and coiling around the vines at night. Dark Ruby with aromas of berry fruits, tangy herb, pepper and sweet spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry and ripe cherry with black pepper spice, vanilla and earthy sweet herbs. Soft chewy tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit, spice and earthy oak. Nice! — 2 years ago

Mark Simmons

9.2

Picked up the bottle a Ferreo at Ritz Carlton, had a glass with dinner and corked the rest. Second day it was fantastic. Beautiful floral flavors, no oak, excellent. — 5 years ago

Aravind A

9.5

Well, wow. Unlike any GG I've ever had. Yeah, the evidently high-toast oak might be controversial, but the results shouldn't be: this is a stunning btl. On the nose: toasted wood, lemon oil, almond, lemon peel, wet stone...those descriptors don't do justice to the heavenly aromatics. On the palate: fantastic acidity, and just so unctuous, leather and lempn oil, savory and vibrant at the same time...and the length on the finish is stunning. Just, wow. — 5 years ago

Martinez

9.5

Napa at its best. Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Cabernet Franc (22%) and Petit Verdot (18%) from the estate on Pritchard Hill in Oakville, (not far from Colgin and Bryant Family), including fruit from the Mondavi family’s famed and controversial To Kalon vineyard. Silky, opulent, balanced. Well integrated oak. Dried fruit. Hints of vanilla, chocolate — 6 years ago

David Bettencourt

9.7

2008 vintage. Currant, limestone, cinnamon, vanilla and a hint of subtle oak and leather. Super silky and velvety mouthfeel with no bite at all. Finishes long and smooth with blackberries and tobacco. Phenomenal wine. — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.6

Full, deep ruby. Deep aromas of dark fruits, spices, smoky oak and flowers, plus a whiff of game. Utterly plush and mouthfilling but not at all heavy, showing serious thickness and high-altitude density to its sweet blue and black fruit, spice and chocolate flavors. And yet this wine's floral element gives it an almost light touch, if that's possible. Some subtle soil tones reminded me of the outstanding Syrah from this site on Pritchard Hill. Finishes with substantial but noble tannins and terrific length. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, July 2019) — 7 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.7

Chappellet – Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2022.
Napa Valley AVA · Pritchard Hill · California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
The crown jewel of Chappellet’s portfolio and one of Napa Valley’s true mountain icons. Made in extremely limited quantities, this wine represents the pinnacle of the estate’s Bordeaux-inspired philosophy, an expression of power, elegance, and the profound identity of Pritchard Hill.
A masterful blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, crafted with meticulous precision to honor Donn Chappellet’s original vision.

Aromas & Flavors
A captivating aromatic spectrum: liqueur-like blackcurrant, cassis, and ripe blackberry, followed by violet, cedar, and sweet oak. Layers of black tea, roasted coffee, graphite, cinnamon, and vanilla bean slowly emerge as it opens in the glass, revealing depth with each minute.

Mouthfeel
Monumental yet refined. Silky but tightly structured tannins frame a core of ultra-concentrated mountain fruit. The palate expands with flavors of black cherry, currant, cocoa powder, espresso, and subtle mineral tension. Long, resonant, and commanding.

Food Pairings
Best reserved for special meals, think: Dry-aged ribeye, Herb-crusted lamb rack, Wagyu with peppercorn sauce, Truffle risotto and/or Aged Gouda or Parmigiano Reggiano

Verdict
A breathtaking Cabernet Sauvignon at the highest echelon of Napa Valley winemaking. Dimension, finesse, and mountain precision all converge here. Every sip affirms its place among California’s elite. Worth every penny, and deserving of a distinguished spot in any serious cellar.

Did You Know?
Pritchard Hill is often called “The Rodeo Drive of Napa Cabernet” due to its ultra-prestigious hillside estates and intensely low-yielding vineyards. Chappellet was the very first to plant here, which is why they’re referred to as “The Pioneers of Pritchard Hill.”

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
A wine I proudly cellar myself. Massive yet graceful, a true mountain Cabernet that stops you in your tracks. This is the Chappellet bottle that leaves even seasoned tasters saying “whoa.” Cheers! — 8 months ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Inky in color with a very short reddish/ brick rim.

Full bodied with medium acidity

Showing black fruits with earth, bell pepper, tobacco, oak, dark coffee, pencil lead, bitter herbs, earth, light roasted bell pepper and forest floor.

Soft tannins on the tangy finish.

This 10 year old Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is probably on its way out. Still very drinkable, but a little unbalanced and showing lots of earth notes.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after two hours of air time.

Showing nice complexity at this point, but a little bitter for my taste.

Although still good, I expected more from this second wine from this producer and this vintage.

90 points.

$80 (current vintage). — 4 years ago

Peter Wassam

9.4

Stellar. Tasted a bit over the hill at first (just a touch of raisination) but the color and tannin are from a 2015 or thereabouts. It’s continually developing. Black tea, xmas spice, black cherry, cacao nib but really dark, idk if descriptors do it justice honestly. Was worried cause of vintage/storage/reviews but this is hitting. Btw idk if delectable has it right but it’s the Michel Bonnefond bottling made by Roumier. Texture is honestly seductive — 5 years ago

Leo Gentile

9.4

One of my all-time favorite Chardonnays and have been on the mailing list since the early 1990s. Found this vintage at an Indiana shop. Always true to the fruit without the masking that malolactic and oak. Long finish slight green apple pear and lemon. Owing to the acidity I’ll leave the remaining couple bottles in the cellar and taste them in a year or more. — 6 years ago

Sam Lee

9.0

…”Length of flavor aftertaste with buttery flower peach melon oak lots of oak here
Orange apricot at mid palate
Layers of flavor brings with citrus pale gold on visual, a delicacy…”
🌻
Perfume like aroma
Zesty tropical citrus blossom, like a floral garden
🎠 with merry go round
👱🏻‍♂️
— 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Dense ruby in colour. Blackberry and mocha aromas - Berry flavours with dark chocolate on the palate - Oak has integrated with the fruit finishing with chalky Tannins. Medium to full bodied. Excellent quality from the second cheapest Penfolds red wine Cuvée and good value - still with a good future. The Cabernet showing itself with a little astringency at the finish. At the Gold Coast. — 7 years ago

Dawn E.

9.1

Here is my #fridaycabernetfix ! Not sure of the "somewhat low ratings" on this! This wine is really good! Super Smooth...dark fruits..molasses..sage..leather...vanilla..nice long finish! I picked this up for $40..pretty comparable ..previous purchases at a much higher price point.

Update..post 4 days vacuum pumped and in Refrigerator..this wine has lost some ground ..once being opened. Not bad..but heavy on the oak..and loss of acidity present post 1 hr. Decant. Not bad....just different.... — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

A perfect balance between oak and fruit (blackberry) from this Barossa Shiraz. Great winemaking from John Duval who has quite the CV. John was Chief Winemaker at Penfolds from 1986 until 2002 being only the 3rd custodian of Penfolds Grange after Max Schubert (creator of Grange) and Don Ditter. In 2020 this wine received Shiraz of the Year and 99 points from the James Halliday Wine Companion. The product of old vines in the Barossa. Luscious but in balance and overall - delicious. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine is a deep garnet color a near opaque core and some significant rim variation; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous and showing some signs of maturity. There are fascinating notes of tart, ripe and dessicated black and red fruits: blackberries, black currants, tart red cherry, accompanied by some tobacco, cigar box, green bell pepper, some leather and beautiful baking spices. It smells like money (expensive, lavish oak treatment). On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins (well integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose with some coffee and cocoa also showing up to the party. The finish seems to go on forever. This is a very balanced wine in a very fun spot.

Initial conclusion: this could be a Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend, a Tempranillo or Sangiovese-based blend from the United States, France, Spain or Italy with 25+ years of age. However, the fruit was kinda the star of the show so, final conclusion: this is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine from the United States, from California, from Napa; vintage 1990. Ha!! 1992 Bryant Family!? Suhhhhweet! This is in the zone. Drink now through 2032. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

See several previous tasting notes for this wine. This was made back in the day when Hunter Valley reds had strayed from their medium bodied, savoury, sweaty saddle origins to being riper and more full bodied like a South Australian Red. This was declared in a speech by Chief Winemaker at the time, Jim Chatto, at a dinner I attended at the winery. Also plenty of oak still evident at 15 years of age. I prefer the original Hunter Valley style which Mount Pleasant has wisely reverted to utilising the wonderful old vine fruit at its disposal. Tasted again 35 weeks later on 26th March 2022. Nothing to add to the note here. A Hunter Valley wine trying to look like a South Australian wine back in 2006 with ripe fruit and oak. Thankfully HV reds have returned to the medium weight savoury long living style that Maurice O’Shea made in the 1950’s. — 5 years ago

Alex Chang

8.9

Sip of wine after dinner at home, plumper style, plush red-berried fruits, generosity of flavour and supple ripe tannins. It has structure fresh cranberry, red currants and a sweetness
It’s reminiscent of red liquorice and white chocolate. Raspberries and strawberries initially combine, a generosity of energetic red fruits. Pink peppercorn spice is scattered amongst the fruit and a violet-based floral allure. The palate features red plum, exotic aniseed and candied fennel adding to the vibrant fruit mix that the nose suggests and unsurprisingly carries through to the palate. A slipperiness in texture, a succulence in acid profile and an elastic bounce on the palate. Subtle brioche/croissant pastry-like texture we have to assume is evidence of oak-derived maturation but still taste of tannins — 6 years ago

Joel Brunk

9.2

Needed a good amount of time to open. Liked this wine - good classic Nebbiolo fruit, nice weight, liked that not a ton of earth and oak but are present and introduce good complexity - but also had strong acidity/bite and above average dryness.

Had at favorite Seattle Italian spot on hill. — 7 years ago

Tom Garland

9.0

Decanted 1 hour(decent chunky sediment). An irresistible dark inky/red color after all these years. Pritchard hill wine, Napa. On the nose: herbs, oak, cassis, earthy. Taste: red fruit, cassis, meaty, cedar, coffee.....some alcohol not fully integrated, slight bitter but smooth tannin at the end....decent long finish — 7 years ago

with Brenda