Founded by Molly and Donn Chappellet in 1967, today a second generation of the Chappellet family has embraced the mountain’s exceptional terroir and is committed to stewarding their father’s vision for generations to come.
Pritchard Hill is the source of some of the world’s finest mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignons, earning numerous comparisons to the great First Growths of Bordeaux. Pritchard Hill has been dubbed “Napa Valley’s Rodeo Drive” and “Napa Valley’s Grand Cru”.
Great wines reflect the complexity and character of great vineyards, as well as the vision, passion and patience of those who farm them. Rising from 800 o 1,800 feet above sea level, the Chappellet Estate Vineyard on Pritchard Hill has earned global acclaim for yielding grapes that produce mountain-grown wines of rare depth, longevity and elegance.
Wines are handcrafted to embody the rugged terroir and intensity of fruit that makes Pritchard Hill famous. Recognized for their signature mix of grandeur, power and purity, each wine is a result of winemaking that begins in the vineyard. To honor and maintain the diversity of Pritchard Hill, the Chappellet team cultivates the estate as 48 individual blocks, each highlighting various soil types, elevations, exposures and grades. This mosaic of micro-vineyards features a wealth of varieties, clones and rootstocks for our winemaking team to work with.
Chappellet Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon & 6% Petit Verdot.
Chappellet's Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon has been, since the beginning of their winemaking career, the most sought after wine of their portfolio. The wine is truly a love letter to the winegrowing potential of Pritchard Hill. The wine was inspired by Bordeaux, and like most left bank Bordeaux, the wine is a blend of predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with remaining amounts other classic Bordeaux blend varieties. The vines grow upon rocky, mountainside vineyards. After harvest and fermentation, the wine was aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
Review:
Chappellet Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Cabernet Sauvignon.
Chappellet's Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon has been, since the beginning of their winemaking career, the most sought after wine of their portfolio. The wine is truly a love letter to the winegrowing potential of Pritchard Hill. The wine was inspired by Bordeaux, and like most left bank Bordeaux, the wine is a blend of predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with remaining amounts other classic Bordeaux blend varieties. The vines grow upon rocky, mountainside vineyards. After harvest and fermentation, the wine was aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
Chappellet planted on Pritchard Hill in 1967, among the first to prove this rugged, high-elevation bench on Napa Valley's eastern ridge could grow world-class Cabernet. The volcanic, iron-rich soils sit above the fog line, where poor ground and long, even ripening yield naturally concentrated fruit and the wine's celebrated capacity to age.
Review:
The flagship release here, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill sports a saturated purple hue and absolutely heavenly aromatics of crème de cassis, liquid violets, graphite, crushed stone, and a Pauillac-like character that builds with time in the glass. Based on 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, it's full-bodied, has a deep, concentrated mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. This is magical stuff that offers pleasure even today given its purity, balance, and finesse, but I'd be shocked if it didn't keep for 50 years or more. Drink 2025-2075.
Jeb Dunnuck, 100 points
-Jane Anson (Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux) 100 Points
-Joe Czerwinski (Robert Parker) 100 Points
-Decanter 99 Points
Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and nearly equal portions of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot.
The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon has been a foundational wine for more than five decades. It is a benchmark for the long-lived hillside wines of the Napa Valley, full of structure and aging potential, yet seductively forward in its concentrated varietal character. The dry, rocky soils of Pritchard Hill produce small, intensely flavorful grapes. Crop thinning allows for full, even ripening and elevates flavor complexity.
Review:
It is a marvellously compact and coiled-up wine with a towering structure. Very beautifully fragrant dried purple flowers and herbs. Full-bodied with loads of succulent ripe blackberry, creme de cassis, graphite, and loamy earth. Very firm, tight-grained tannins form the base note of this wine, and the finish is long and rich in wild herbs and spices. Cellar worthy. It will release internationally in September 2024. It is rounded out with 6% Merlot.
-Decanter 96 Points
Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and nearly equal portions of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot.
The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon has been a foundational wine for more than five decades. It is a benchmark for the long-lived hillside wines of the Napa Valley, full of structure and aging potential, yet seductively forward in its concentrated varietal character. The dry, rocky soils of Pritchard Hill produce small, intensely flavorful grapes. Crop thinning allows for full, even ripening and elevates flavor complexity.
Review:
-Tasting Panel 97 Points
Peter Michael 'L'Esprit des Pavots' Estate Red is made from 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot.
The saturated garnet 2022 ‘L’Esprit des Pavots’ features an intense nose of cassis, black cherry, ripe plum and blackberries with hints of black olive, black tea and baking spices. The soft, supple entry and round generous tannins combine for a plush mouthfeel and elegant finish. This is a fleshy vintage of ‘L’Esprit des Pavots’ which can be approached in its early years but will continue to expand with age.
Review:
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
-James Suckling 94 Points
-Erin Brooks (Robert Parker) 93 Points
-Antonio Galloni (Vinous) 92 Points
Valminor Albarino Rias Baixas is made from 100% Albarino.
Albariño is native to the Miño River region, which separates Galicia and the Rias Baixas DO from Portugal; it is prized for its characteristic citrus aroma and high acidity. Valminor Albarino presents a yellow-straw color. On the nose it shows a wide fruity range, with notes of fresh grapefruit, apricot and melon. In the mouth it combines fruity flavors and freshness with a rounded acidity, resulting in a balanced wine with an opulent taste and a slight spritziness.