October 14, 2013 – Wine: 2003 Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon

When this wine was young back in 2006, it sure delivered the wow!  I remember buying two half-bottles speculatively when it was first released (thinking what pretty packaging).  After opening the first bottle, I was so impressed that I sought out a case of half bottles.  Wine Enthusiast’s 94-point endorsement of the wine confirmed my initial impressions of the wine too.  The next few bottles I opened were all wonderful.  Then, the wine went into the oddest state of being thin, off-dry and unbalanced that made it unlikeable.  This continued through four bottles, so I decided to bring one of the remaining bottles to the winery to get their impression.  (One or two bottles is variation, but four bottles makes a trend.)  By the time I got to the winery in 2010, the wine had evolved again into a full-bodied, balanced, complex Cabernet and my point was lost.  The winery was not interested in tasting again three years later so I decided to open the next bottle myself.  I found the wine to be quite complex with fascinating intensity while still maintaining decent balance.  On the palette I noted dark cherry, red currant, baking spices, leather, and minerals.  I am looking forward to opening the one remaining half-bottle of this wine.

2003 Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon