2018 Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

No estate defines Pritchard Hill’s rise to Cabernet superstardom like its first settler, Chappellet. And their Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is a sensational wine, a delicious chance to experience that famed terroir without the triple-digit price tag their Cabs typically bear.  

Born of Phil Titus’ immense talent and a 2018 vintage that’s universally acknowledged as one of the best in recent memory, this spellbinding Cabernet captures the iconic depth and dark-fruit energy that compelled Chappellet neighbors Nine Suns, Continuum, and Colgin to stake a claim on Pritchard Hill—at a price those wineries have long left behind.

Since Donn and Molly Chappellet planted the first flag on Pritchard Hill in the ‘60s, the area’s singular terroir has become hallowed ground for Cabernet. It has attracted luminaries like the Mondavi family and winemakers like Andy Erickson and Philippe Melka, whose Pritchard Hill bottlings fetch $250 and much more. 

Today, we’re thrilled to share the 2018 vintage of Chappellet’s iconic Signature Cabernet, sourced from their Pritchard Hill estate and select neighboring hillsides, at a stellar price. Showing brooding black fruit with spice and textural richness, backed by silky tannins, this will be a cellar staple for years to come. 

It’s “a winner,” and a “beauty,” according to Jeb Dunnuck, while Decanter called it “a textbook mountain Napa Valley Cabernet.” Wine Advocate said it’s “simply singing,” and asserted that Chappellet’s 2018s “absolutely shimmer with energy.”  

Considering the cachet it carries now, it’s hard to believe that Pritchard Hill wasn’t always a foregone conclusion. But Donn and Molly Chappellet had a vision, and took a massive leap of faith when they purchased their estate in the 1960s. It didn’t hurt that the endeavor had the approval of Napa Valley godfather André Tchelistcheff, who (as the story goes) said “All the grapes I get come from the valley floor. If I could get grapes from a hillside, I would.” And there’s no better hillside than the one where Donn landed. 

It was a wise move, and the list of talent that has called Chappellet home is a testament to the singular terroir: Philip Togni, Tony Soter, Cathy Corison, and Helen Turley have all played roles at Chappellet. Phil Titus took over as winemaker in 1990, and has since guided the estate to multiple 100-point wines and a profusion of 96+ point raves. In other words, the kind of scores that make a career, Phil and Chappellet make a regular occurrence. 

The first Cabernets came off the estate in the '60s, and were simply labeled Chappellet Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. As the winery’s offerings expanded in the 1980s, the Signature label started to make appearances, and by the early 1990s, this Cabernet—with its iconic white label bearing the red Chappellet logo and Donn’s signature in gold—had become the winery’s defining bottle. 

Once an outlier because of their far-flung location, Chappellet still stands apart—now for the incredible value they deliver from one of the most prestigious parts of Napa Valley. Every collector’s cellar should have some Chappellet in it, and we’ve got it at a price that puts the icon well within reach.