2022 Chappellet Cabernet Franc
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Tasting notes
In this heat-influenced vintage, Chappellet's 2022 Cabernet Franc is rather fruit-forward, loaded with cherries and only faintly herbal nuances. It's medium- to full-bodied, silky and velvety in texture across the palate and shows excellent structure and balance on the lingering finish.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Gorgeous black and blue fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and smoky tobacco notes all shine in the 2022 Cabernet Franc, a remarkably pure, silky, medium to full-bodied blend of 76% Cabernet Franc, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Merlot. While it shows the perfumed, accessible style of the vintage, it brings rock-solid depth and concentration, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Drink over the coming decade.
The nose is deep and brooding, with aromas of roasted coffee beans, blackcurrants and cedar. The palate is full-bodied with firmly integrated tannins and acidity and a viscous mouthfeel, giving notes of mulberry compote, cured meat and graphite. Very well constructed. Drinkable now, but best from 2028.
About the producer
Founded in 1967, Chappellet is a pioneering, family-owned Napa Valley estate on Pritchard Hill, where it helped establish the tradition of high-elevation viticulture. Its mountain-grown wines are renowned for their depth, elegance and longevity, led by Cabernet Sauvignon.