Chappellet Signature '07 vs '06 and notes from Tercero tasting

Retailing in the low $40 range, Chappellet's Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is a good place to look for ultra-premium value in Napa Valley Cabernet. The wine is estate grown in Chappellet's vineyards on Pritchard Hill- located in the Vaca Mountains just east of Rutherford.

It's a big wine with mountain tannins, full fruit and oaky depth. It's typically a blend of just over 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remaining portion split among the other Bordeaux varietals, with substantial new oak on the profile. At its best it adds extra focus with notes of mineral acidity and tertiary flavors like tobacco and herb, and can rival Chappellet's flagship Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at about a third of the price. The 2006 Signature Cab was such a wine and was very well recognized critically.

I recently opened a 2007 Signature Cab and found it to be structured and bold, but lacking the extra oomph of the 2006. To me the 2006 had the acid and mineral components to give balance to the huge fruit and oak, as well as giving the wine a sense of having a life ahead of it. It also had those leafy tobacco flavors that I love in a Cab. In contrast, the 2007 was just huge currant and oak flavors. It did have huge tannins and structure that could resolve and bring more into the picture, but I just didn't get the sense that there was much there beneath the surface. It was an enjoyable wine, but not quite memorable or distinctive at this time. Also interesting in the 2007 vs 2006 is the much higher percentage of Malbec in the blend in the 2007- in the 2006 the secondary component of the blend was Merlot.

~Notes on Chappellet 2007 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley- 3+ hour decant. Opaque garnet color with lightening edges. Notes of cassis, lavender, currant and cedar throughout. The fruit is ripe on the palate yet backwards. The oak notes expand with cedar, espresso and cocoa. There's a nice silky tea note throughout. It drinks polished and plush with fine tannins that are very firm. The finish is dry and with good length along with plenty more dark fruit and oak. It's enjoyable at this stage, but tight overall and centered around black fruit and oak. The depth and length is there, and I could see this maybe developing a little more with oak integration- give another couple of years. (rating- I like!)

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I also recently tasted through a lineup with Larry Schaffer of Tercero Wines here in Santa Barbara County. Larry makes balanced and elegant Rhône varietal wines from single vineyards in Santa Barbara County- mostly located in the Los Alamos area. The tasting room is in Los Olivos.

The wines are all about pure focused fruit with naturally balanced spice and savory notes. They are very judiciously oaked with just partial neutral on the whites and neutral oak only on the reds. There's a seriously high enjoyability factor on these wines, and they are very fairly priced.

Here's a link to my notes from many wines tasted with Larry.