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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.4 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 40 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by MichielV on 6/13/2020 & rated 90 points: With flank steak and home made fried rice. Good combo.
This is better than previous notes suggest. Wonderful color, well balanced nose and decent length. It probably lost some of its luster bt still very good. Nice balance good length and nothing bitter or not connecting. Very good and fun to drink after 10 yrs. (618 views) | | | Tasted by mdfuller on 11/23/2019 & rated 89 points: Ok but was probably better 4-5 years ago - kept too long in cellar (673 views) | | | Tasted by dmellinger on 1/1/2018 & rated 95 points: Kept getting better the longer it was open. Amazing wine (1152 views) | | | Tasted by JustinTI on 4/2/2016 & rated 88 points: Probably past its prime. (1781 views) | | | Tasted by ivsimler on 1/10/2015 & rated 86 points: Good, but past its prime if its to be considered against really good Malbec's. The tannins were pretty much gone. Smooth, and quite flavorful. (2523 views) | | | Tasted by MichielV on 11/6/2013 & rated 90 points: W cheese souffle. This was very good. Great dark color and good spicy fruity nose. Not as powerful as i remember the 08 but good. In the begiining quite tight and not special but glass 2 and 3 were very good. Great fruit, backbone and fabulous finish. Love the wines of these guys. This will live 5+ yrs more. Drink before '17. (3032 views) | | | Tasted by rougeamore on 8/17/2013 & rated 92 points: There is a rich aroma of blackberry and cassis accompanied by wonderful notes of dark berries. This wine should be decanted. The tannins are smooth and mellowed followed by a medium finish. Really great wine (3268 views) | | | Tasted by yossarian.livez on 2/18/2013 & rated 89 points: PnP at the tasting. Not a malbec fan, but the match of richness with a bit of lightness with sweet tannins that were fine grained. Surprisingly delightful. Probably a shorter-term pleasure item. 89 (3212 views) | | | Tasted by rougeamore on 11/4/2012 & rated 92 points: Rich full bodied red with aromas and flavors of blackberries, currant, spice and a bit of smoke. Smooth tannins with a long finish. Really nice wine. (2949 views) | | | Tasted by InternationalWineReport on 8/10/2012 & rated 92 points: The 2009 Chappellet Malbec is one of the best examples of Malbec I have tasted outside of Mendoza in recent memory. This brings beautiful fresh blackberries, plum, leather, spicy tobacco, sandlewood and smoke. The soft velvety tannins glide the fruit effortlessly into the long tasty finish. Very Impressive. (Drink 2012-2019) (2658 views) | | | Tasted by bunkie on 6/11/2012 & rated 94 points: An fantastic wine. Decanted for an hour or so before enjoying. This vineyard is consistently delicious. (1919 views) | | | Tasted by cpgarage on 6/4/2012 & rated 94 points: This vineyard never fails to impress. (1836 views) | | | Tasted by NapaDave on 5/28/2012 & rated 93 points: Excellent!! I noticed a dense, dark beautiful bouquet, very Bordeaux style after a few hours of the bottle being opened. (1547 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Chappellet Producer websiteMalbec Varietal character (Appellation America)
One of the traditional “Bordeaux varietals”, Malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A midseason ripener, it can bring very deep color, ample tannin, and a particular plum-like flavor component to add complexity to claret blends. Malbec is a finicky vine whose fruit is prone to rot and mildew in the cool, damp coastal climate of Bordeaux. But ask a Bordelais grower why there’s no Malbec around, and you’ll more likely get a dismissive shrug and sniff than a viticultural analysis. It is known in much of France as Côt, and, in Cahors, also as Auxerrois. There are in fact hundreds of local synonyms, since Malbec at one time was widely planted all over the country. Sensitivity to frost and proclivity to shatter or coulure (a disease that results in premature fruit drop) is the primary reason that Malbec has become a decreasing factor in most of France. Although plantings in the Medoc have decreased by over twothirds since the mid-twentieth century, Malbec is now the dominant red varietal in the Cahors area. The Appellation Controlée regulations for Cahors require a minimum content of 70%. Malbec is also planted in Chile, and there’s relatively little and recent acreage in California and Australia. It is usually blended with other red varietals in these countries. But Malbec truly comes into its own in Argentina, where it is the major red varietal planted. Much of the Malbec vines there were transplanted from Europe prior to the outbreak of phylloxera and most is therefore ungrafted, on its own roots. Sadly, over the years the bug infested Argentina, too, and vineyards are being replanted on resistant rootstock. Happily, the vines thrive in the arid climate of the Mendoza region in the foothills of the Andes. Made in the context of this South American nation’s Spanish and Italian heritage, it produces a delicious wine that has almost nothing in common with Bordeaux except the color. Argentines often spell it “Malbeck” and make wines from it that are slightly similar in flavor to those made in Europe, but with softer, lusher structure, more like New World Merlot. Another difference is that where French examples are usually considered short-lived, Argentine Malbecs seem to age fairly well. Successful Argentine Malbec growers claim that, in order to develop full maturity and distinction, Malbec needs “hang time” even after sugar levels indicate ripeness. Otherwise, immature Malbec can be very “green” tasting, without its characteristic notes of plum and anise. Malbec in Argentina has come to be appreciated for a spicy white pepper characteristic, the aroma of violets, and sweet, jammy fruit. It is a seductive wine that is typically warm and generous in the mouth, with plenty of flesh, and very appealing when young. Almost always producing a ripe and fruity, even plummy wine, Malbec can take oak aging or show well without it; it’s juicy and quaffable when young but can benefit from aging, developing an intriguing complexity with time in the bottle. It can range in price from as little as $7 to more than $75. The true potential of Argentine Malbec, and indeed in the entire spectrum of Argentine wines, is demonstrated by the fact that many of the world’s most renowned winemakers have come to Argentina to make wine. Both the legendary California winemaker Paul Hobbs, and Michel Rolland of Bordeaux, one of the world’s most famous winemakers, have created very high-end Malbecs. It may be the Italian component in the country’s mixed Latin family tree that fosters the fact that Malbec is an exceptional companion with a broad range of food. Its well-balanced fruit-and-acid profile makes it a natural with rare beef (bear in mind that Argentina is cattle country), but it’s just as good with simple fare from burgers to fried chicken. With its natural balance, good pairings include: cajun cuisine, calzones, cannelloni with meat, poultry, vegetable couscous, steak creole, Greek cuisine, deviled eggs, hummus, Indian cuisine, leg of lamb, Mexican cuisine with meat, pâté, spinach soufflé, and hearty pasta. For cheeses, think of harder styles that are either waxed or oiled, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta Salata, Romano, Asiago, Pont l’Eveque, Gruyere, Manchego, Cantal, Comte, old Gouda, old Cheddar, Baulderstone, Beaufort, Leicester, aged Chesire, Chevre Noir, Wensleydale, Tilsit, Iberico, Mahon, Roncal, and Mizithra.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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