Chappellet 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley

This limited production collectible Cabernet Sauvignon represents the pinnacle of Chappellet winemaking, and embodies the elegant power and complexity of Pritchard Hill winegrowing. Like the great Bordeaux wines that first inspired Donn Chappellet, this wine is crafted by blending Cabernet Sauvignon with other classic Bordeaux varietals. For this 2016 the blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon,  5% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec. 2016 was another outstanding vintage. and this wine has received nothing but raves!

James Suckling scored this 95 points saying "Very rich, ripe, sweetly fruited cabernet with an intense array of boysenberry, blueberry and blackcurrant aromas, as well as violet-like florals. The palate has a plush, seamless and cleverly articulated array of ripe, long, detailed and very concentrated blackcurrants. This is impressive. Try from 2020."

Tasting Panel Magazine scored this 98 points saying "Dark, smooth, and toasty with a silky texture; ripe and fresh with no heaviness. Intense and complex but also elegant and layered, this is what a great Napa winery can achieve in a great year."


The Wine Advocate scored this 100 points saying "The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill has a very deep garnet-purple color. To smell the nose is like hearing angels trumpeting at the pearly gates! The most incredible and evocative scents come spilling out of the glass, conjuring notions of freshly crushed black raspberries, wild blueberries, red and black currant compote and raspberry leaves with subtler hints of roses, violets, tilled soil, cigar box and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied and achingly graceful in the mouth, the perfumed black and red fruits seemingly dance on the palate with a very firm yet beautifully fine-grained texture and just the right amount of freshness, finishing with epic persistence. Hallelujah—this is perfection!!"


Jeb Dunnuck scored this 100 points saying "Cut from the same cloth with the intensity turned all the way up, but with no loss of purity or elegance, the heavenly 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is a worthy follow up to the otherworldly 2015. Awesome notes of crème de cassis, gamey blueberries, sappy underbrush/mountain scrub brush, flowery incense and crushed rocks all literally soar from the glass of this full-bodied beauty. Hitting the palate with awesome intensity and depth, it stays magically weightless and seamless, with both structure and considerable opulence. Don't miss this wine. I followed this wine for multiple days and it never budged an inch with regard to evolution and oxidation. It's going to keep for 3-4 decades."