WineLovers Discussion Group

It's mulberry and cherry picking time in Wisconsin, and this big fella fit right in! A rather evolved color (garnet center with bricking at the rim) with dried cherry on the nose. Very very rich on the attack and mid-palate featuring dried cherry and a bit of cassis. Evolved tannins and just a touch of cedar on the finish. Good balance for its type, and it handles the 14.1% alcohol very well indeed. I had hoped to find some secondary flavors, and might have detected cloves; that might be wishful thinking though. Absolutely no evolution in the glass or overnight. I recall that this Cab is the last year that Chappellet included their Pritchard Hill fruit in their standard signature bottling. Starting in 1997, the P.H. fruit became dedicated to a special (and pricier) bottling.

I had opened this out of curiosity, and hadn't expected to care for it given my preference for more structure and rustic flavors. However before I knew it, I'd managed to drink half the bottle while occupied with picking berries and baking a couple of mulberry pies.

Dave Mo