1969 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon

Community Tasting Notes (12) Avg Score: 98 points

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  5/1/2024 - Nanda wrote: 100 Points

  69/70/74 - a singular, perfect bottle of Napa Cab that is somehow still in a peak drinking window at age 55. Epic concentration and classic cabernet character that is still fruit-forward though laced with tobacco leaf, bell pepper and cedar spices. Long, intense finish. Wow.

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  5/1/2024 - acyso wrote: 100 Points

  To Tony (La Grange Park, IL): Early Togni, of course. Absolutely stunning, from the beginning all the way to the end. The most Bordelais of the wines tonight after a few hours of air, but at the start this was opulent and so very much fruit-driven. Just an accent of balsamic, with a complex mix of red and black fruit here. Mature but still showing so much life here. It's sappy, concentrated, and layered. The fruit definitely leans towards the black side, and the herbal, leathery elements don't come out until much, much later. That this wine evolved so much over the course of the evening and has so much vivacity at this point in time and how well it evolved over the few hours is a true testament to the stellar quality here.

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  4/25/2022 - ShadowIII Likes this wine: 100 Points

  Only wine I have ever rated 100. Tasted blind. Simply stunning dark color, very youthful (at 52 years old), elegant and powerful at the same time, very complex nose of dark fruits, currants, cassis, cedar, spice, cardamom, leather, pencil lead, just kept evolving, adding new layers of complexity, well integrated tannins, superb structure, very long finish. Last time I had this wine was 15 years ago at dinner with the 1974 Heitz Martha's, 1941 Simi, the wine is more youthful and complex than over a decade ago

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  3/27/2021 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 98 Points

  A Memorable Saturday (Various Spots in the Santa Ynez Valley): A gorgeous bottle and an emotional experience, truly ticking off one bucket list wine dream I never thought would be fulfilled. A friend generously brought this mere weeks after having stumbled into it and some other random wine treasures, thrown into a modestly upsized deal that was otherwise focused on an old Chartreuse. Nice trade! Everything apparently came from a passive basement cellar, and the estate agent had full confidence in a $500 price for a set of 12 bottles, including this rarity, the first Charles Krug made by Robert Mondavi (we didn't get to this one) and a 375 of a '67 Mouton Rothschild (then a 2nd Growth), which was unsurprisingly DOA. So be it.
  
  Our apprehension around how the bottle would show was allayed immediately upon the extraction of the remarkably solid cork, as the aromas were easily detectable several feet away. Dark fruit, some smoke and coffee notes wafted up confidently. The wine was remarkably fresh, and showed real structure, with nearly resolved tannins discernible. It held steady in the glass for some ninety minutes, even taking on more weight with air. I can't say this was at peak, as the vibrant energy others have described was not so evident here. Just shy of perfection, TN-wise, but a solid 100 when emotion is considered. Such a remarkable treat.

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  10/25/2020 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 98 Points

  My second bottle of this wine both from the same source. Still so structured with tannins that start gripping after 30 minutes open in the bottle. Plenty of fading secondary notes but just amazed by the freshness and intensity of the fruit. Black berry, dark cherry, leather, eucalyptus, caramel, mineral and dusty earth. Tasted alongside 08 Hundred Acre Ark, 88 Mouton, and 15 MacDonald. Only the MacDonald was able to compete here. This won’t get better with time but still has 20 years to go.

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