September 16, 2022 - Purple hue. Black cherry, mushrooms, black pepper on the nose. Palate is very dark, fruit forward. Full body, jammy, stewed black cherries, plums, lighter mushroom than the nose, some vanilla & black pepper, a bit of prune. Tannins, soft & chewy, but definitely present.
Drank well after a couple hours decanting, but can likely live in the bottle a few more years. Great example of a powerful California cab.
March 24, 2022 - Retains a lot of its youth: still a deep ruby red with lots of primary fruit on the nose and palate. Alcohol pretty visible on the nose too. Tannins are still powerful and balanced by a nice acidity. Plenty of oak and vanilla and strong leather, tobacco and mushroom notes indicate this wine is coming along very nicely.
February 19, 2022 - Typical black and mountain fruit profile of Chappellet. I get cassis, vanilla, and oak/ leather notes. Silky tannins softened after 4 hours of decanting, still has that violet color- from the PV with a long finish. Given the fact that 2008 was not a spectacular year, but this one was outstanding.
December 3, 2021 - With the Eatons
May 11, 2021 - Elegant and well balanced. Drinking perfectly now.
Drank over two days, great on both.
February 13, 2021 - This is aging great. Worth the wait.
July 17, 2020 - Murky, almost prune color. Astringent nose of dark berry. Typical CS dark berry--currant, blackberry, blueberry--fruit flavors on the tip of the tongue. However, it is fairly subtle and without that "sweet" sensation. Quite nice. Tannin is, pretty much, resolved, A touch of acidity. A full-bodied wine with a nice finish.
July 15, 2020 - PnP and drank over an hour. Wine is fading for my palate anyway. Not bad but lost a step since my last tasting 9 months ago.
December 1, 2019 - Big time Napa Cab. Every bit as good as anticipated. Smooth and lush, with amazingly deep flavor profile.
September 1, 2019 - No notes due to a night of wonderful over consumption.
1hr decant and drank over another 2. Very enjoyable but not nearly on par with the rest of the lineup- a bit unfair and have another two bottles to taste in a more fair setting. 93-94