2001 Chappellet Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Napa Valley

9% Petit Verdot; 5% Merlot. Absolutely riveting aromas of currants, cocoa, very rich oak and layers of minerals and loamy earth set this serious wine apart from the rest of the field from the very first sniff, and its opulent, fully stuffed flavors make good on the promise. It is as deep and as rich as any of the Cabernets under current review, and its stands among the very best of the vintage when it comes to structure, balance and wine-making polish as well. A convincingly ageworthy wine that will grow for a decade or more, it is nothing short of a tour de force effort and confirms Chappellet's pre-eminent place as a maker of superb Cabernet Sauvignon.