Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

It is a marvellously compact and coiled-up wine with a towering structure. Very beautifully fragrant dried purple flowers and herbs. Full-bodied with loads of succulent ripe blackberry, creme de cassis, graphite, and loamy earth. Very firm, tight-grained tannins form the base note of this wine, and the finish is long and rich in wild herbs and spices. Cellar worthy. It will release internationally in September 2024. It is rounded out with 6% Merlot.

An extra-dark color and heady aromas of crushed blueberries and blackberries leads to super-concentrated black fruits and milk chocolate on the palate, where silky tannins put a gentle grip around all that flavor. The wine is huge in pure fruit depth yet well polished in texture.

Aromas of cassis and dark berries with sweet spices, dried orange peel and minty undertones. Hints of walnuts, too. Medium- to full-bodied with well-integrated, melting tannins. Very silky texture. Succulent and layered, ripe but bright and vivid. Delicious fruit. Long.

Leading off the Cabernet Sauvignon releases, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Signature is a larger production release and is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and nearly equal portions of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot. Smoky black fruits, graphite, crushed stone, and tobacco notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, powerful 2021 offering ample mid-palate depth, a layered, textured, balanced mouthfeel, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish.

Domineered by scents of ripe cherries and loamy earth, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Signature is a strong effort, a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec and 6% Merlot. Medium to full-bodied, with an appealingly taut structure and silky tannins, it should be approachable young yet capable of aging for more than a decade.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Signature is a dense, potent wine. A strong mid-palate and core of fruit gives the 2021 its sense of poise. Plum, blood orange, sweet spice and Kirsch fill out the layers. At once both plush and structured, the 2021 is a fine choice for drinking over the next handful of years, but it is a big wine.