Chappellet Winery, located high atop Pritchard Hill, was the second winery established after prohibition when the Chappellets’ took a risk pursuing the concept that mountain wines were better than their peers from the valley floor.  The risk paid off with their flagship Pritchard Hill Cabernet routinely scoring over 95 points and their other wines achieving 90+ point scores at reasonable prices. The same care comes through just as clearly in the tour of their winery, which is a must for any fan of their wines.

The drive to the winery winds up Pritchard Hill and  is almost as stunning as the winery itself.  As we drove along Sage Canyon Road, along Lake Hennessy, it gave me a glimpse of what Napa must have been like when the Chappellets founded their winery in 1967.  Turn up the mountain toward the winery and the heavily wooded road opens up into expansive hillside vineyards with open vistas of the lake below.  Even if you don’t stop at the Chappellet Winery, make the drive for the views!

Chappellet’s winery, office and barrel room is housed in a unique three sided pyramid building that, when viewed from above, forms the iconic logo that appears on all Chappellet wine bottles.  The building is framed in heavy timber and, in a time when wineries were seen as factories rather than showpieces, this building must have been quite a site.  It has withstood the test of time and fits in nicely with its surroundings.

Although not as unique as some of Napa’s caves, the expansive barrel room is nonethless impressive and made a great setting to begin a discussion of Chappellet’s winemaking techniques.  While we enjoyed a glass of their highly acclaimed 2008 Chardonnay ($24.95 at LA Wine Co), we learned that meduim toast French and, surprisingly, Hungarian oak barrels are used to age Chappellet wines, none of which receive 100% new oak. We heard mixed reviews of Hungarian oak during our trip but Chappellet insists that it’s finally coming into its own after being mostly wiped out during WW2.  Our lovely tour guide went on to describe the intricate barrel making techniques and gladly answered our groups questions.

The tour then proceeded past the fermentation tanks (once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all), outside past the crush pad, and into the vineyards.  There we stood drinking a selection of Chappellet’s acclaimed Cabernets including a limited production, single clone and a barrel sample of their 2008 Signature Cabernet, which is looking very promising.  Our guide described the great care that’s put into vineyard management and how Chappellet’s sustainable practices are core to their winemaking philosophy.  The operation is entirely powered by solar panels, located behind the building.  This is a great trend in the traditionally resource intensive craft of winemaking.  Chappellet also provides on-site housing for most of their vineyard workers which they believe translates into higher quality wine since their staff tend tend to stay for the long term.  Water is sourced from on-site aquifers and hundreds of special birdhouses are placed thoughout vineyards to house birds of prey to keep the rodent population to a minimum.  It’s truly a self-sustaining operation; yet another reason to buy their wines.

The tour concluded in the barrel room with a tasting of the brilliant 2007 Pritchard Hill Cabernet (at LA Wine Co. for $109.95), which has been rated 96 points by Wine Spectator for the last three vintages running.  My wife was especially impressed with the Chappellet Red coats, provided to keep everyone warm, since it’s always a cool 55 degrees in the barrel room.

If you’re looking for an off the beaten path experience at a world class winery, Chappellet could be the best choice in the Valley.  At $25 per person for the roughly 1.5 hour tour, that’s a certified Nickel and Dime Wine value.  Consider this: Quintessa makes only one wine, that’s roughly the same price as Chappellet’s Pritchard Hill Estate Cabernet, and their tasting fee is $45.  At Chappellet, you get to taste a number of highly rated wines, walk the beautiful vineyard and learn about the history of the wines you’re drinking, all of which adds up to an unforgettable experience.

I opened this bottle on Monday because I’ve recently received a bunch of emails promoting a 92 point Wine Spectator review for an under $20 wine, and I had to try it.  On Monday, it tasted good, but compared to other similarly rated Bordeaux blends, I was a bit underwhelmed and decided not to review it on Nickel and Dime Wine.

We didn’t finish the bottle on Monday, so I pumped it and decided to give it a try again on Friday, to see if anything had changed.  Wow- what a difference 5 days makes!  On Monday, the nose was closed and the wine tasted fruity but tight.  On Friday, a sweet, expressive mountain nose had emerged and the wine opened up into a juicy, complex, amazing value.  This goes to show you how much a wine can change with extended exposure to oxygen, whether through aging, decanting or just leaving a bottle open for a few days.

Chappellet is well known for their high-end wines like the Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, which sells for around $40, and the Pritchard Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon which sells for well over $100.  The Mountain Cuvee is their less expensive cousin, but the high-end wine making techniques easily shine through.  In contrast to many Napa “Bordeaux Blends”, that could actually be classified as Cabernet, the Mountain Cuvee is roughly equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with small amounts of Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  This works out to a refined wine that tastes much more expensive than it really is.  Speaking of price, LA Wine Company is selling this for only $18.95.  Order a few and let me know what you think.  And don’t forget to decant for a few hours!

Wine Spectator 92 points

“Chappellet Winery always seems to over‐deliver on quality for the price, thanks in large part to the estate’s 100 acres of vines on Pritchard Hill, high above Napa Valley. The wine is rich and seamlessly mouthfilling yet complex and beautifully structured. It’s ready to drink in the short term – it brought out the best in the beef – but will do fine in the cellar for a few years. I rated it 92 points, non‐blind. It sells for $29, a bargain by most Napa standards.”

2007 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee- LA Wine Company $18.95