With Chappellet's Napa Cabernet selling for $47 a bottle, this Bordeaux-style blend is a real deal....

Chappellet Mountain Cuvée 2003 Napa Valley, California $27
What the Wine Critics Thought: Wine Enthusiast 90 Points
You can call this Chappellet’s everyday claret, but that’s an insult to a wine of this quality. It shows classic Napa structure, with firm tannins and rich acidity, and a deep core of black cherry, black currant and oak flavors. It’s delicious now, and should develop for a couple of years. —S.H.

What We Thought: A classic Bordeaux blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petite Verdot and 1% Malbec. The wine begins with a nose of Napa Cabernet, all cedar and cassis, then moves to a rich, deeply-flavored palate of blackberry and vanilla. Medium-bodied and well structured, the tannins it displays now promise improvement in the cellar. By Napa standards, this is a great value.

September 27, 2006