Napa Valley Winery Punch: Merlot and Cabernet
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon‘s from California are said not be as fine as the Pinot Noirs of that year.. so says the French wine snob that sits across from me. Still, a Friday afternoon and a fresh bottle of Chappellet  Mountain Cuvee sounds really lovely with the beautiful sunny spring weather.
Mountain Cuvee from Napa
Of course, the 2007 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee is not all Cabernet at all, in fact it is only lightly over half Cab. Then Merlot comes in at 46%, followed a great distance by a splash of Malbec, a Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot all at 1%.
 That French wine snob keeps uttering that there is “too much Merlotâ€, but there is a certain softness that the Merlot brings. Maybe I speak too much about the softness of wine, but I am a girl and that’s what I like. The color itself of the 2007 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee is a rich deep garnet as it pours into my glass. Slightly too dark for the “perfect hair dye shadeâ€, but still quite attractive.
 The nose speaks to me of plums, of smoke, dark cherry, rich fruits. The first taste is a beautiful explosion of fruit in my mouth.
The flavor is big and round and very juicy. It settles and tingles and leaves quiet whispers of strawberries behind. Tempting as the soft strawberries are settling into the tannins structure, I am compelled to sip yet again, beginning the process all over again.
Chappellet Winery always seems to over deliver on quality for the price, thanks in large part to the estate’s 100 acres of vines on Pritchard Hill, high above Napa Valley. 2007 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee Napa Valley with a Wine Spectator Rating of 92, the regular price is great at  $29.00, but the Sale price now is $20.00!
