Lot Overview
- Region: Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley (estate)
- Vintage: 2023
- Varietal: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc
- Oak Aging: ~75% new French oak
- Alcohol: 15.0%
- Cases Available: Not stated
- Cam Price: Not stated
- Retail Estimate: $300–400/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Chappellet Winery — Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Ovid
- Drink Window: 2028–2050+ (peak 2033–2045)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Sourced from a $300–400 per bottle Pritchard Hill estate program, Lot 12 is not only a stunning example of 2023 hillside Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it is a mind-blowing value. With multiple 98–100 point scores under the belt of its originating label, here is your chance to experience world-class estate Cabernet at a literal fraction of the price.
Tasting Notes
Opaque in the glass, basically squid ink save for the slightest hint of magenta around the rim. Meaty and boisterous, this wine initially overpowers the glass with black and blue fruit before flowering into a ripe, unctuous, kaleidoscopic bouquet of boysenberry jam, cherry kirsch, red rock, bouquet garni and powdery purple florals underpinned with graham cracker and black forest cake. The entry is ripe and unctuous with rich, velvety blackberry compote and black forest cake notes framed by racy, red rock-coated, palate-staining tannins that unfurl waves of blueberry, cassis and chocolate kissed with beautifully integrated oak in an epic, seemingly endless finish. Lipsmacking, rich, ripe and opulent — a classic iron fist in a velvet glove.
⏳ Bottle Shock Status: Allow minimum 2 years post-bottling before opening.
Claude’s Source Guess: Chappellet Winery — Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Chappellet is the founding winery on Pritchard Hill — they pioneered high-elevation hillside Cabernet on this site starting in 1967, and their Pritchard Hill Estate Cabernet is the benchmark wine of the hill. It retails at $300–400 and has accumulated multiple 98–100 point scores across recent vintages: Parker gave 100 points to the 2012 and 2016 vintages, and the 2023 already shows 99 points on Wine-Searcher aggregations. The winery is one of Napa’s last great family-owned estates, with winemaker Phillip Corallo-Titus at the helm since 1990.
The blend composition here — 94% Cab/3% Merlot/2% PV/1% CF — differs slightly from Chappellet’s standard Pritchard Hill blend (typically 90% Cab/10% PV), which may reflect a specific barrel selection or sub-lot from the estate that Cam received outside the main bottling program.
✅ Confidence: Very High — Pritchard Hill estate, $300–400 price tier, multiple 98–100 point scores. This is one of the strongest identifications in the catalog.
Drink Window
Early: 2028 — 15% alc, 75% new oak, and Pritchard Hill structure demand 4–5 years minimum.
Peak: 2033–2045. Chappellet Pritchard Hill typically hits its stride 10–20 years from vintage.
Hold: 2050+. Parker-tier Pritchard Hill Cab is built for the very long haul.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: 2028–2050+ (peak 2033–2045)