March 29, 2021 - There is very little left in the tank here. And that small tank is nearly on empty. The cedar, tobacco, herb and earthy nose is better than the smidgeon of fruit remaining on the palate. And this bottle was perfectly stored. Nothing lives forever.
August 7, 2019 - Chappellet vertical (incl. the legendary 1969): Lots of tension and vibrancy, good aromatics but never just remotely as complex, intense as the 1969 we had alongside. Still, this was a good wine with a good precision and softness.
TN: Cigars, rosehip, rhubarb, cranberries, some spices and a hint of minerality on the nose and palate. Medium- complexity but well delineated and embedded in a soft structure with very fine tannins and an elevated acidity which makes the wine appearing 30 years younger.
Decanting: No decant needed but has the structure to be decanted and followed over a few hours.
August 7, 2019 - Chappellet tasting (Napa Grill, Zurich): Part of a Chappellet tasting showing a total of 16 wines including a Prichard Hill mini-vertical (7 vintages from 1969 to 2016) attended by Cyril and Blakesley Chappellet. The one highlight I will never forget was clearly the 1969 Pritchard Hill that knocked me out of my socks. In more recent vintages the 2013-16 representatives come across less extracted and more complex that the 2007-12. The whites were decent but can't compete in the Permier League. Also had a bottle of the 2016 PNV which was unfortunately closed but showed great potential.
Tasting note:
A ripe, brandy type of red fruit. Some herbal components and medicinal aromatics. Could imagine this was bursting with power, but maybe also heat, back in the day. Full bodied with tertiary aromatics on the palate. If I had to complain I would point to an imperfect balance on the palate. Needless to say that at >45 years of age this is amazing, and Cyril pointed out that vines were still very young with only around 6 years of age, but in the line-up was just simply put in its place by the outstanding 1969.
December 24, 2016 - Bought magnum for Xmas Eve dinner at Valentino's here in LA. Great price for a restaurant wine list at only $180, and well stored (Valentino's cellar has a great reputation).
Needed about an hour to breathe. Dark and powerful, but beginning to show a little red bricking softness around the edges and that prune-like note I get when a wine is flirting with oxidation. Delicious layers here of mocha, mint on nose, still has some good fruit, and complexity that emerged over a couple of hours. That said, I'd drink this ASAP and not hold it any longer if it were in my cellar.
Probably fine for another couple years if cellared well its whole life, and/or in a larger format bottle but I think smaller format, or not ideally cellared bottles would be past their prime.
September 24, 2016 - Still very much alive but unless you have pristine bottles only downside in waiting.
October 11, 2011 - Mostly California Wines from the '70s at John Gilman's. (John Gilman's.): John went to his cellar and grabbed this as a throw in at the end to go with the '73 Sterling Reserve. It really would've benefited from a longer decant as this is a beast of a wine. It took awhile for the nose to get going, but it eventually uncoiled to show sweet cherry, leather, cedar and tobacco aromas. Mouth-filling with brutish, drying tannins. There's enough fruit to stand up to them, but there's almost an old Barolo likeness here, especially since there are solid acid levels. A bit of cedar, leather and earth to go along with the cherry fruit. A-/B+.
May 22, 2011 - Fill was excellent and the cork came out relatively cleanly in 2 pieces. Likely would have rated this higher, but it's perhaps 5 years past its prime. Still, this was a very very nice wine, with a soft and smooth mouthfeel and a complex palate with hints of eucalyptus and pine. For the price I paid for it at auction, this was a great deal.
April 29, 2010 - Cork fell apart took quite a while to extract. It was amazingly youthful, almost zero sediment. Still had decent fruit, good finish and enough acid to last another 10 or 20 years. Shared with Cyril Chappellet and Gentleman's Wine Club and all were amazed.
May 26, 2008 - 3/2008 Thought it would be shot by now. Was really very good.
April 21, 2005 - Corked...damn..birth year wine!