At first very light but gaining weight with time in the glass. A pleasing, light-footed wine for an apéro on a hot summer day but without exceptionalism of any kind. Solid effort.

TN: Muted nose which needed a long time in the glass to open up and show the mix of minerality, citrus fruit with small herbal influences. On the palate a bit more expressive with a not overly sweet yellow fruit core in addition to the above mentioned aromas. Not very complex, very light and filigran with a good freshness and a fairly long finish.

Decanting: I would give it an hour in the decanter.

More masculine, dense and more oak influences showing than the Combsville Chardonnay. At first a bit too much and too fat but with time in the glass it became more harmonious with a nice floral component reminiscent of a Viognier. A solid effort which would need more precision to play in the big league.

TN: At first dense, packed showing yellow fruit and sweet oak aromas. With time more balanced with the oak retreating and a soft florarl component as well as some herbs and minerality. Medium- complexity, medium- precision, good length. Fun to drink.

Decanting: A solid hour in the decanter will certainly make the wine a much more harmonious experience vs pnp.

It is a humbling experience to taste such a legend, possibly one of the greatest Napa wines ever produced and it’s even better with the Chappellets in the room for such a tasting. For such young vines (only planted 6 years earlier) they crafted a magical wine which at the age of 50 is still going strong. The nose is to die for, just perfect with a rainbow of aromas and constantly changing. I see LPB‘s 100 points she awarded the wine back in 2018. Wouldn't it be for the slightly more advanced bottle (vs the one she had and others in our group had before) with a slight sub-par tension and vibrancy, I would score it 99 to 100 points too. Best wine of the 10 vintages of Pritchard Hill we tasted that night. Too bad I‘ll most likely never cross path with this beauty again.

TN: Amazing nose opening up with a cigar covered with the purest, freshest honey I‘ve ever tasted in a wine, the savory, herbal, spicy notes kick-in, soft warm tobacco, dark roasted coffee, dark fruit come and go. Pure magic. Same aromas on the palate with some signs of age disappearing more and more the longer the wine sit in the glass. Very high precision. Very pure and focused. Still going strong with a dense and powerful but at the same time absolute light-footed sensation with the finest tannins and a good acidity (which could have been a bit more present) and a long long, earthy and coffee driven finish.

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.

They had some issues with the wine as it went to a slight second malo fermentation in the bottle. Still the nose of this wine was incredible. On the palate however it had some flaws, showed a bit fizzy and was not overly long. 92 points for the incredible (96/97) point nose.

TN: An amazing, deep and precise nose displaying Mouton burnt sugar/roast aromas, coffee, deep cassis and dark forest berries, fresh and candied, some vegetal notes, slight spices. Same aromas along roasted herbs and clearly riper dark fruit. Seems younger, not dominated by tertiary aromatics but a good acidity and a slight fizz more apparent on the palate. Medium+ complexity, medium intensity, medium+ precision, medium- length. Overall well balanced but no stunner and some technical flaws.

Decanting: A bit of air would not hurt but no extensive decanting necessary.

From magnum. Dark, dense and showing the ripe profile of the vintage (and the decade) and a tad of alcohol. From magnum the wine is still a bit closed and will need time to fully open up. I suppose that regular bottles might be a bit more open. Nevertheless, I would give the wine at least 10 more years in the cellar to shed some fat. In 20 or 30 years this might be a winner but today it was inferior to all other young(er) Pritchard Hills (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) we tasted.

TN: The nose is dominated by the dark, dense and ripe fruit. Heavily intense, leaving little space for other nuances. Better on the palate with blackberries, dark chocolate, minerality. Despite the intensity and stuffing, soft and delicate with lots of very fine tannins and a good acidity. Medium- complexity only, still a bit closed only revealing more with a lot of swirling.

Decanting: I would give it at least 3 hours in the decanter (8h for magnums).

From magnum. Quite a contrast to the 2007 tasted before, this wine has a much cooler, fresher profile which leaves a lot more room for the different aromas to show. Very complex and with a great precision. Hedonistic and elegant. The best moments were a 98/99 point experience, overall no doubt solidly in the 97 to 98 category. My number 2 wine after the legendary 1969 (which showed less vibrant but more complex) and the best of the 7 young Pritchard Hill wines we tasted that day.

TN: Cool, fresh nose with precise cassis, blueberry candy, blackberries, and other fresh forest berries, violets and an ashy, smoke minerality. On the palate a very intriguing, sexy burnt sugar, roast, coffee note to go with all the fruit and minerality. Layered, deep, precise, intense, graceful but still with Napa presence and mid-palate weight with lots of fine tannins a good freshness and a long long finish.

Decanting: Not decanted, one or the other hour of air might benefit the wine.

From magnum. A true winner (#3 overall out of 10 vintages) with the purity and complexity unfolding in gracious and seductive ways. A tad behind the genius 2010 which showed a tad more stuffing for a long life and a better freshness. This is slightly riper but overall an amazing wine, very expressive. The 2012s Napa Valley are drinking beautifully right now (compared to the 2015s which almost all too much for my taste).

TN: Ripe but not over-ripe dark and blue forest berries, the typical coffee, burnt sugar, roasted aromas, cocoa, violets. Despite a riper profile than the 2010, still on the fresh side of the (Napa) spectrum. Nicely complex and very good precision, impressive intensity and length embedded in a fairly soft structure with very fine tannins and a well-integrated acidity.

Decanting: A few good hours will certainly do good things. I would better wait 5 to 10 years to allow to shed some baby fat.

From magnum. 2013 produced very structured, deep Napa wines which are often not yet ready to shine. This Pritchard Hill is no exception, especially being poured from a magnum. Still a tad closed and with rough edges and noticeable tannins. The potential is visible but these wines just need 10+ more years (and will be a lot of fun to drink in 20, 30 or 40 years). 94 points today with quite some upside in the future.

TN: Dark, deep nose, full of earthy and herbal notes. Cool, and fresh. The minerality and earthiness takes the centerstage on the nose and palate. The earthiest expression of all 13 Pritchard Hills today. With more time in the glass fresh dark and red fruit shines through. Overall very promising but still a bit closed and wild. The immense forces need to be tamed by time.

Decanting: If you pop a bottle today, give it at least 6-8 hours in the decanter.

From magnum. Not as expressive as the 2010 and 2012 but still an amazing wine combining the seductiveness of Napa Valley Cabs with a fresher, more mineral profile reminiscent of some Bordeauxs. Especially on the palate, this wine was so much fun to drink. With a few more years of age and a more open nose, this could climb even higher.

TN: Blackberries and blueberries, earthy tones and minerality on the nose. Not as exciting as the 2010/2013 but still nicely intense and precise. Much more open and singing on the palate displaying a rainbow of fresh forest berries along the same mineral and earthy notes. Some slight hints of roasted aromas and cocoa only (less than in 2010/2012/2015) but adding a nice, shy layer of additional complexity. Good intensity and precision. Very fine tannins, good weight but in no way cloying or fat. A great wine with a fairly long finish.

Decanting: Not decanted. I would go for at least 2 to 3 hours in the decanter.

From magnum. As expected this was the most seductive, slutty and fat showing (as it's coming from a hillside vyd and this producer, it is better, fresher than most Valley floor 2015s are showing today). I would have rated it 93 points with the advice not to open it for 20 more years but with the huge piece of meat we had this wine with, the wine was amazing (97+ points). So if you open a bottle today, better put something great and big on the grill and let the flames do their job to cut through the baby fat this one has.

TN: A full-bodied, decadent showing dominated by loads of ripe dark and red fruit and lots of chocolate. Some herbal scents, toasty aromas and minerality only far in the background. Very well-defined, great intensity but only medium complex at this stage. A bit slutty and fat but with fine-grained tannins and a good acidity. Just not enough to cut through all the richness. Very good length. It will need quite some years to develop into something more elegant.

Decanting: Good to go, no decant needed but I still would decant it for 6+ hours to try to bring some more aromas forward.

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.

This is a wonderful new cuvee from Chappellet comes from a secluded vineyard on top of Pritchard Hill. It is distinctively softer and more delicate than the Pritchard Hill and so leaves more room for the different nuances to shine at this young stage. While the Pritchard Hill will have a longer life and probably reach higher highs, this wine is currently the best 2016.

TN: Burnt sogar, toasting flavors, coffee, milk chocolate, forest berries, rosehip, cranberries, herbal scents and spices on the nose and palate. Not as sharp and intense as the Pritchard Hill but currently showing a higher complexity. Wonderfully soft and elegant but not as mind blowing deep and precise as the best 2016s out there (for me Dana Hershey, Dana Lotus win that price so far). A winner with its finesse and fresh structure.

Decanting: No extensive decanting needed.

This was supposed to be a star (best barrel from a great vintage and one of the greatest vineyards in Napa, fetching a whopping USD 1000 per bottle at the PNV auction) but sadly the wine is closed. It’s deep, dark, dense, very long and with ultra-fine tannins but not overly harmonious or complex at the moment. I would wait at least 10, better 20 years before opening a bottle. If you open a bottle today, give it at least 10 hours in the decanter.

Well made entrance level wine not showing as deep and precise as the Pritchard Hills but overall quite enjoyable. Give it just 2, 3 years to shed some baby fat and this will be tons of fun to drink.

TN: Dark, pure fruit and some minerality. Not overly complex and a tad fat but with a very good precision and harmony. Embedded in a fine structure and with a medium length.

Decanting: One or two hours in the decanter would be my advice.