Deep purple in color and very aromatic with blackberries, boysenberry black cherry and cinnamon on the nose. On the palate there are layers of black fruit- boysenberry, blackberry, spice, mineral, toasted oak and cigar box. Full bodied without being heavy or overextracted and it has a long finish. Drinking well but this certainly can age but I need to drink while my taste buds still work!
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This wine is drinking great almost upon opening. Still going strong and evolving 4-5 hours later. Smooth and balanced fully showcasing all of the Napa Cabernet fruit. Excellent! Drink or Hold. Should continue to improve.
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This is everything a Napa Cab can be! Every nuanced note presents itself assertively yet remains an integrated element of the harmonious whole. The nose provides scents of roses, wildflowers, blueberries, and raspberries, with hints of cigar box and loamy soil. The palate is rich with black and red fruit in evocative layers. It’s perfectly fresh, smooth as silk and extremely long. I agree with Wine Advocate’s assessment of this wine’s perfection. I simply can’t imagine anything better.
Opened for 4 hours at 68°F then double decanted for 30 min and had it with churrasco (skirt steak).
The nose is fruity and wild, body is medium, oak is integrated and fairly balanced. Not too complex at this point, amd finish is just fair.
After one hour at the table the wine got fuller to a medium plus and secondary notes with fresh fruits emerged. This didn’t last too long, so IMO more time in the bottle is demed…
93+ Hold.
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Decanted over martinis with gin and vermouth in memory of Robert Morse, RIP. This is showing beautifully with pure, intense, and viscous black mountain fruit. It's a cult Cab with big colorblocks of flavor and a crowd pleaser for sure. This showed a lot better than some other 2016s I've had recently but still has more to give as parts of the experience seemed slightly restrained, as delicious as it was.
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Splash decanted just before dinner, but opened up more after a half hour of air (almost black on the pour, then faded somewhat to red). Similar notes to FOINZAP and others. My first time with Chappellet and certainly didn't disappoint. Nose somewhat less open than the palate, which ranged in complexity from rich black fruit to cassis, hints of red fruit, cinnamon, loam and earth. 20-25 second finish that built slowly in intensity then peaked in a wave ending in sweet spice. There was also a subtle fresh cut flower note on the nose and palate, violet, almost Burgundian, so amazing. After 2 hours the wine closed somewhat so wouldn't recommend long decanting. Just a very polished and complex Cab, probably one of the best young Cabs I've ever had from any part of the world. The finish isn't the longest nor the most intense but had this prettiness that I rarely find in New World wines. I can see this hitting 97 in a few years.
Brought to CWG by David. Not sure how long he decanted it. The wine is bold, dark purple, firm tannins, high and bright acidity, a lot going on right now but plain unidimensional and only 3-5 seconds finish.
Very disappointed at this stage. IMO Bordeaux blends with high content of Petit Verdot (huger than 5%) need plenty of time to settle down. This wine is a 87% Cab Sauv, 10% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec, another grape that needs time. So in my book this promising wine has a 13% of juices that really deemed patience to provide all the enjoyment intended. Best after 2025…
91++ STRONG HOLD!
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PnP, Deep dark purple in color. Nose is black fruit, notes of earth. Palate is a robust, delicious blend of blackberry, black cherry, fig, something like root beer, black licorice, hint of milk chocolate. Nicely complex and well integrated. Full-bodied, tannins folded in, long finish. Excellent. I'm not sure there's upside in waiting, drinking really well right now.
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Young and vibrant intensely robust with bountiful concentration, balance, and complexity throughout. A gorgeous deep garnet hue. Inviting aromas of crushed stone, violets, blackberry, and cardamom. Dark fruit with extreme concentration with nuances of vanilla, charcoal, and an earthy minerality and slightly spicy finish. Extraordinary now and should only drink better in time. 100 point perfection!
Gorgeous. I think best days are still ahead. Saving for two more years (if I can stop myself). There is alot of good going on and the secondary notes have not evolved yet. Was unable to truly enjoy as i was playing a family game. Drank too quickly!
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Tasted twice with consistent notes. This is a stunning wine. The hillside location works great in hot years like 2015 to counterbalance the ripeness and keep the wine fresh. In better, fresher years like 2016 the site excells even more. This has it all, the complexity, the superb delineation, the elegance, the balance and length. Will it reach the level of the Wines from this site produced in the 60s and 70s? Probably not but it has the structure to age gracefully for some decades. 97+ points.
TN: Intoxicating nose full of fresh ripe blackberries, cassis, well-integrated oak notes, hints of vanilla, spices, smoke and an intense minerality. Broadly layered, very precise, high intensity without being overbearing. High intensity and concentration on the palate with layers and layers of black fruits, fresh minerality, tobacco, smoke, fine oak influences, spices, forrest floor. Very complex and highly precise, ripe but still very pure and fresh. Fresh and creamy structure. A wall of very fine tannins, high and perfectly integrated acidity. Very long, fine fruit and tobacco driven finish. The alcohol, apparent in the Zalto Universal, is perfectly masked in the Zalto Bordeaux glass.
Decanting: PnP, good from the go, no extensive decanting needed.
This extracted and gravelly Cabernet has a lot of potential, but it needs a few more years to blossom. Blackish purple in color; full in body (whole milk in mouthfeel); pungent aromas of boysenberry (with extra seeds), peppercorn, charred ribeye, and ground spices (e.g., rosemary, cumin). Burgeoning flavors of boysenberry, pencil lead, gravel, and wet ground espresso, with a prickly and somewhat bitter finish. Blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Malbec. 14.5% alcohol.
I love the story of this estate - a family with young kids pioneering wine on Pritchard Hill in the 1970s - but I always seem to open these too early. I think this is an example of tasting it way too early; it’s currently coiled and powerful wine that needs time to soften and integrate. 93+ for now, with upside in 2023 or later. More settled and less primary on second day.
Wow, dark sweet caramel, red cherry aromas, and plum soar from the glass. Rich ripe red fruits with floral violet profile. Velvety and fresh with raspberry, blueberry, cherries. Voluptuous and concentrated, yet refined, long long finish. Dark savory, lavender, licorice, blue fruit, more tannins.
Phillip Titus, winemaker with Antonio Galloni - Hideout, much more site specific. On the outer edges of property. The signature of the core is darker, blue fruits,
Upper steep terraces from early 1960s lots of differences by row. Have own personality. Hace vertical areas, rolling areas, loamy soap, rocky soil, a broad pallet to choose from. Different exposures, different varietals. 40 blocks of Cabernet in total now. Diversity. So can do every best selections each year and changes each year especially as hace replanted and different ages. Big vineyard so can drill down and use best blocks and best varietals each year.
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Big, brawny and muscular. Lots of dense, dark fruit, grippy tannins and finesse, too. As the good friend with whom I was sharing commented - "This is MY kinda wine. This is how they used to make wine when I fell in love with wine."
Served by the glass. Tremendous concentration for a thick, sweet and very mature wine. In my humble opinion another fruit bomb but nuanced by the action of the oak that adds complexity and class. On the nose nothing new under the sun: very ripe blackberries and sweet spices. The really delicious thing is in the mouth with deep notes of sweet tobacco, a generous breadth and an enormous length. It is not my favorite all-time CS but I understand that it arouses interest.
Servido por copas. Tremenda concentración para un vino grueso, dulce y muy maduro. En mi humilde opinión otra bomba de fruta pero matizada por la acción del roble que añade complejidad y clase. En nariz nada nuevo bajo el sol: moras negras muy maduras y especias dulces. Lo realmente delicioso se encuentra en boca con profundas notas de tabaco dulce, una generosa amplitud y una descomunal longitud. No es mi CS preferido pero entiendo que despierte interés.
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Didn't decant in the restaurant, but would recommend 1-2h to fast-forward to the sweet spot. First impression was of cooler fruit with an abundance of sweet spices, liquorice, smoked vanilla. Great balance on the palate. Sweet and fresh, maybe a bit less expressive and some greenish notes. Second day (took half the bottle home) still just as good, fruit with a more dark cherry profile and more restrained sweetness. Hence a tad less sexy and more mature. Having this for the third time in 6 months with a consistently strong performance.
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Luscious, ripe, rich, fat, dense and full-bodied, the showy wine pops with layers of sweet, juicy, ripe, black and blue fruit, smoke, vanilla, licorice, and a flowery background note. If you like upfront, exuberant fruit, you can enjoy this young. Else, wait 5 years for everything to calm down and fall into place.
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Tasted at Total Wine in McLean, VA on Saturday, December 7, 2019. Beautiful nose with cigar nice note. Very intense and high quality. Notes of dark berries particularly raspberries. Im surprised that I gave this the highest rating I’ve ever given any wine I’ve tasted and it’s very young. It’s definitely worth the $270 price tag.
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Tasted double blind. This is a fantastic wine with so much more potential. It is not the best 2016 right now but it has all the ingredients for greatness. The clear highlight here was the incredible purity of fruit. Some points deducted as the compared to the best 2016s the fruit was a bit too dominant, pushing the other layers into the background, i.e. not overly complex at the moment. But that is just a matter of time.
TN: Fantastic, airy nose with so pure strawberries and other red berries. The same intensive, pure red berries are dominating the palate. Highly precise and embedded in a very soft structure with ultra-fine tannins and a superb acidity. Medium- complexity only at this point but so much potential.
Decanting: Good from the start, even better after 1+ hour in the decanter.
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Decanted (not necessary but helps). Perfumed nose of red and black currant with a deep floral bouquet (violets) complemented by minty notes, moccha and milk coffee (over time). Shining, luscious elegance. Light-footed on the palate. Harmonious, beautifully integrated tannins. Already super excited revisting this when botte age further boosts complexity. An incredibly pure display of terroire with a light-handed deployment of oak. In a recent vertical the 2015 won the stand-off against 2016 (and 2013) by a whisker. I think this bottle would have tipped the scale the other way.
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This is a bomb of a wine. I will not add to the notes as I believe everyone has nailed it in these descriptions. Good wine but .... For me a 94 not higher.
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This as dark of fruit as you can experience. Extremely darks currants, dark, dark, expresso, cedar plank, dry tobacco, crushed rocks, leather, graphite, dark rich earth and very dark florals. Hold this 20 years. It’s amazing.
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Chappellet vertical (incl. the legendary 1969): From magnum. While the nose was almost like a barrel sample with a wild and intense fruit potpourri, the palate showed more balanced and very promising. As most 2016s the fruit is pure and the wines have a great freshness. On these two levels clearly better than the 2015 and with more depth than the 2012/2014 vintages. This particular wine, however, was not yet fully ready – too wild. I would wait at least another year or two to let it calm down.
TN: A wild nose with some fat, a mix of dark, blue and red forest berries, chocolate, coffee. More barrel sample than a perfect wine. Much better on the palate with loads of fresh, pure, cool black and blue fruit, warm spices, cinnamon and with time a very nice crushed rock minerality. While also very intense and a tad wild, clearly better than 2015 which only showed ripe fat fruit. Very fine tannins and a good acidity, very good length. Not yet as harmonious but this is just a matter of one or two years.
Decanting: Not decanted. I would go for at least 3 or 4 hours in the decanter at this point.
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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: Dark cassis fruit, minerality and some dark chocolate and mocha. Just a little bit of sweet baking spices. Fully body with lots of freshness, fruit and a firm tannic structure. Lines up nicely with other top shots in the 2010ies and broadly on a par with 2010, 2013 and 2015 with the latter better by just a whisker.
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4/21/2024 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 97 Points
Deep purple in color and very aromatic with blackberries, boysenberry black cherry and cinnamon on the nose. On the palate there are layers of black fruit- boysenberry, blackberry, spice, mineral, toasted oak and cigar box. Full bodied without being heavy or overextracted and it has a long finish. Drinking well but this certainly can age but I need to drink while my taste buds still work!
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3/21/2024 - rjf@rjfinlay.com wrote:
Drink now. Share with jaffer.
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2/15/2024 - KTelaak_Buffalo Likes this wine: 97 Points
This wine is drinking great almost upon opening. Still going strong and evolving 4-5 hours later. Smooth and balanced fully showcasing all of the Napa Cabernet fruit. Excellent! Drink or Hold. Should continue to improve.
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1/28/2024 - Lion's Share Likes this wine: 100 Points
This is everything a Napa Cab can be! Every nuanced note presents itself assertively yet remains an integrated element of the harmonious whole. The nose provides scents of roses, wildflowers, blueberries, and raspberries, with hints of cigar box and loamy soil. The palate is rich with black and red fruit in evocative layers. It’s perfectly fresh, smooth as silk and extremely long. I agree with Wine Advocate’s assessment of this wine’s perfection. I simply can’t imagine anything better.
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12/16/2023 - Jstoner1980 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great color and nose, very smooth, fantastic with Ribeye…no sediment, 45 min decant
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11/11/2023 - Jdb10101987 wrote:
Fabulous wine. Definitely consistent with the major raters like Parker
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11/3/2023 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pop and pour. Short decant recommended as it needed a bit of air to flesh out. Gorgeous cult Cab, chewy tannins and palate filling black fruit.
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3/5/2023 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened for 4 hours at 68°F then double decanted for 30 min and had it with churrasco (skirt steak).
The nose is fruity and wild, body is medium, oak is integrated and fairly balanced. Not too complex at this point, amd finish is just fair.
After one hour at the table the wine got fuller to a medium plus and secondary notes with fresh fruits emerged. This didn’t last too long, so IMO more time in the bottle is demed…
93+ Hold.
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2/18/2023 - Kdad Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wasn’t quite sure when to open this , but it certainly was worth the wait.
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2/1/2023 - Jpooh wrote:
Drank beautifully
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6/26/2022 - BigAngryWino Likes this wine: 99 Points
Tannins softened with rich dark cherry forward. Just integrating very well
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4/21/2022 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted over martinis with gin and vermouth in memory of Robert Morse, RIP. This is showing beautifully with pure, intense, and viscous black mountain fruit. It's a cult Cab with big colorblocks of flavor and a crowd pleaser for sure. This showed a lot better than some other 2016s I've had recently but still has more to give as parts of the experience seemed slightly restrained, as delicious as it was.
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1/16/2022 - YankeeRobio Likes this wine: 99 Points
Just about perfect. Plum, mild cigar, concentrated anise, creamy Chambord. Superbly long finish
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10/30/2021 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Splash decanted just before dinner, but opened up more after a half hour of air (almost black on the pour, then faded somewhat to red). Similar notes to FOINZAP and others. My first time with Chappellet and certainly didn't disappoint. Nose somewhat less open than the palate, which ranged in complexity from rich black fruit to cassis, hints of red fruit, cinnamon, loam and earth. 20-25 second finish that built slowly in intensity then peaked in a wave ending in sweet spice. There was also a subtle fresh cut flower note on the nose and palate, violet, almost Burgundian, so amazing. After 2 hours the wine closed somewhat so wouldn't recommend long decanting. Just a very polished and complex Cab, probably one of the best young Cabs I've ever had from any part of the world. The finish isn't the longest nor the most intense but had this prettiness that I rarely find in New World wines. I can see this hitting 97 in a few years.
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10/8/2021 - gteran76 wrote: 91 Points
Brought to CWG by David. Not sure how long he decanted it. The wine is bold, dark purple, firm tannins, high and bright acidity, a lot going on right now but plain unidimensional and only 3-5 seconds finish.
Very disappointed at this stage. IMO Bordeaux blends with high content of Petit Verdot (huger than 5%) need plenty of time to settle down. This wine is a 87% Cab Sauv, 10% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec, another grape that needs time. So in my book this promising wine has a 13% of juices that really deemed patience to provide all the enjoyment intended. Best after 2025…
91++ STRONG HOLD!
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9/21/2021 - FoinZap Likes this wine: 97 Points
PnP, Deep dark purple in color. Nose is black fruit, notes of earth. Palate is a robust, delicious blend of blackberry, black cherry, fig, something like root beer, black licorice, hint of milk chocolate. Nicely complex and well integrated. Full-bodied, tannins folded in, long finish. Excellent. I'm not sure there's upside in waiting, drinking really well right now.
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5/10/2021 - va10230 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Finally. Perfection. 15 minute decant is all it needed but pretty open from first sip
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4/27/2021 - CoryDean44 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Young and vibrant intensely robust with bountiful concentration, balance, and complexity throughout. A gorgeous deep garnet hue. Inviting aromas of crushed stone, violets, blackberry, and cardamom. Dark fruit with extreme concentration with nuances of vanilla, charcoal, and an earthy minerality and slightly spicy finish. Extraordinary now and should only drink better in time. 100 point perfection!
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12/25/2020 - BigGDaddy Likes this wine: 97 Points
Gorgeous. I think best days are still ahead. Saving for two more years (if I can stop myself). There is alot of good going on and the secondary notes have not evolved yet. Was unable to truly enjoy as i was playing a family game. Drank too quickly!
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11/26/2020 - Cailles wrote: 97 Points
Tasted twice with consistent notes. This is a stunning wine. The hillside location works great in hot years like 2015 to counterbalance the ripeness and keep the wine fresh. In better, fresher years like 2016 the site excells even more. This has it all, the complexity, the superb delineation, the elegance, the balance and length. Will it reach the level of the Wines from this site produced in the 60s and 70s? Probably not but it has the structure to age gracefully for some decades. 97+ points.
TN: Intoxicating nose full of fresh ripe blackberries, cassis, well-integrated oak notes, hints of vanilla, spices, smoke and an intense minerality. Broadly layered, very precise, high intensity without being overbearing. High intensity and concentration on the palate with layers and layers of black fruits, fresh minerality, tobacco, smoke, fine oak influences, spices, forrest floor. Very complex and highly precise, ripe but still very pure and fresh. Fresh and creamy structure. A wall of very fine tannins, high and perfectly integrated acidity. Very long, fine fruit and tobacco driven finish. The alcohol, apparent in the Zalto Universal, is perfectly masked in the Zalto Bordeaux glass.
Decanting: PnP, good from the go, no extensive decanting needed.
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7/18/2020 - msuwine wrote: 93 Points
This extracted and gravelly Cabernet has a lot of potential, but it needs a few more years to blossom. Blackish purple in color; full in body (whole milk in mouthfeel); pungent aromas of boysenberry (with extra seeds), peppercorn, charred ribeye, and ground spices (e.g., rosemary, cumin). Burgeoning flavors of boysenberry, pencil lead, gravel, and wet ground espresso, with a prickly and somewhat bitter finish. Blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Malbec. 14.5% alcohol.
I love the story of this estate - a family with young kids pioneering wine on Pritchard Hill in the 1970s - but I always seem to open these too early. I think this is an example of tasting it way too early; it’s currently coiled and powerful wine that needs time to soften and integrate. 93+ for now, with upside in 2023 or later. More settled and less primary on second day.
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7/18/2020 - KenK Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow, dark sweet caramel, red cherry aromas, and plum soar from the glass.
Rich ripe red fruits with floral violet profile. Velvety and fresh with raspberry, blueberry, cherries. Voluptuous and concentrated, yet refined, long long finish. Dark savory, lavender, licorice, blue fruit, more tannins.
Phillip Titus, winemaker with Antonio Galloni - Hideout, much more site specific. On the outer edges of property. The signature of the core is darker, blue fruits,
Upper steep terraces from early 1960s lots of differences by row. Have own personality. Hace vertical areas, rolling areas, loamy soap, rocky soil, a broad pallet to choose from. Different exposures, different varietals. 40 blocks of Cabernet in total now. Diversity. So can do every best selections each year and changes each year especially as hace replanted and different ages. Big vineyard so can drill down and use best blocks and best varietals each year.
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3/16/2020 - brasstab Likes this wine: 97 Points
Big, brawny and muscular. Lots of dense, dark fruit, grippy tannins and finesse, too. As the good friend with whom I was sharing commented - "This is MY kinda wine. This is how they used to make wine when I fell in love with wine."
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2/9/2020 - Harley1199 Likes this wine:
Served by the glass. Tremendous concentration for a thick, sweet and very mature wine. In my humble opinion another fruit bomb but nuanced by the action of the oak that adds complexity and class. On the nose nothing new under the sun: very ripe blackberries and sweet spices. The really delicious thing is in the mouth with deep notes of sweet tobacco, a generous breadth and an enormous length. It is not my favorite all-time CS but I understand that it arouses interest.
Servido por copas. Tremenda concentración para un vino grueso, dulce y muy maduro. En mi humilde opinión otra bomba de fruta pero matizada por la acción del roble que añade complejidad y clase. En nariz nada nuevo bajo el sol: moras negras muy maduras y especias dulces. Lo realmente delicioso se encuentra en boca con profundas notas de tabaco dulce, una generosa amplitud y una descomunal longitud. No es mi CS preferido pero entiendo que despierte interés.
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2/7/2020 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Didn't decant in the restaurant, but would recommend 1-2h to fast-forward to the sweet spot. First impression was of cooler fruit with an abundance of sweet spices, liquorice, smoked vanilla. Great balance on the palate. Sweet and fresh, maybe a bit less expressive and some greenish notes. Second day (took half the bottle home) still just as good, fruit with a more dark cherry profile and more restrained sweetness. Hence a tad less sexy and more mature. Having this for the third time in 6 months with a consistently strong performance.
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1/12/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Luscious, ripe, rich, fat, dense and full-bodied, the showy wine pops with layers of sweet, juicy, ripe, black and blue fruit, smoke, vanilla, licorice, and a flowery background note. If you like upfront, exuberant fruit, you can enjoy this young. Else, wait 5 years for everything to calm down and fall into place.
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12/7/2019 - cltean wrote: 97 Points
Tasted at Total Wine in McLean, VA on Saturday, December 7, 2019. Beautiful nose with cigar nice note. Very intense and high quality. Notes of dark berries particularly raspberries. Im surprised that I gave this the highest rating I’ve ever given any wine I’ve tasted and it’s very young. It’s definitely worth the $270 price tag.
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12/6/2019 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Tasted double blind. This is a fantastic wine with so much more potential. It is not the best 2016 right now but it has all the ingredients for greatness. The clear highlight here was the incredible purity of fruit. Some points deducted as the compared to the best 2016s the fruit was a bit too dominant, pushing the other layers into the background, i.e. not overly complex at the moment. But that is just a matter of time.
TN: Fantastic, airy nose with so pure strawberries and other red berries. The same intensive, pure red berries are dominating the palate. Highly precise and embedded in a very soft structure with ultra-fine tannins and a superb acidity. Medium- complexity only at this point but so much potential.
Decanting: Good from the start, even better after 1+ hour in the decanter.
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12/2/2019 - sirpat00 wrote: 97 Points
Decanted (not necessary but helps). Perfumed nose of red and black currant with a deep floral bouquet (violets) complemented by minty notes, moccha and milk coffee (over time). Shining, luscious elegance. Light-footed on the palate. Harmonious, beautifully integrated tannins. Already super excited revisting this when botte age further boosts complexity. An incredibly pure display of terroire with a light-handed deployment of oak. In a recent vertical the 2015 won the stand-off against 2016 (and 2013) by a whisker. I think this bottle would have tipped the scale the other way.
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11/11/2019 - tomoem wrote: 94 Points
This is a bomb of a wine. I will not add to the notes as I believe everyone has nailed it in these descriptions. Good wine but .... For me a 94 not higher.
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10/23/2019 - Hooman Likes this wine: 95 Points
Needs to take a long nap!
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8/17/2019 - Somm David T Likes this wine: 97 Points
This as dark of fruit as you can experience. Extremely darks currants, dark, dark, expresso, cedar plank, dry tobacco, crushed rocks, leather, graphite, dark rich earth and very dark florals. Hold this 20 years. It’s amazing.
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8/7/2019 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Chappellet vertical (incl. the legendary 1969): From magnum. While the nose was almost like a barrel sample with a wild and intense fruit potpourri, the palate showed more balanced and very promising. As most 2016s the fruit is pure and the wines have a great freshness. On these two levels clearly better than the 2015 and with more depth than the 2012/2014 vintages. This particular wine, however, was not yet fully ready – too wild. I would wait at least another year or two to let it calm down.
TN: A wild nose with some fat, a mix of dark, blue and red forest berries, chocolate, coffee. More barrel sample than a perfect wine. Much better on the palate with loads of fresh, pure, cool black and blue fruit, warm spices, cinnamon and with time a very nice crushed rock minerality. While also very intense and a tad wild, clearly better than 2015 which only showed ripe fat fruit. Very fine tannins and a good acidity, very good length. Not yet as harmonious but this is just a matter of one or two years.
Decanting: Not decanted. I would go for at least 3 or 4 hours in the decanter at this point.
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8/7/2019 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 96 Points
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:
Dark cassis fruit, minerality and some dark chocolate and mocha. Just a little bit of sweet baking spices. Fully body with lots of freshness, fruit and a firm tannic structure. Lines up nicely with other top shots in the 2010ies and broadly on a par with 2010, 2013 and 2015 with the latter better by just a whisker.
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11/10/2018 - jgreco wrote: 94 Points
Wine Advocate: Grand Walkabout Tasting (NYC): This wine gets me really excited about the 2016 vintage in Napa. Rustic and barnyard nose. Long, savory finish.
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