Chimney Rock Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

A blend of 76.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19.8% Merlot, 3.5% Petit Verdot and 0.4% Malbec, Chimney Rock's 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown Stags Leap District offers up some peppery-clove spice notes and hints of hickory layered atop blackberries and black cherries. It's full-bodied, velvety and slightly open-knit but nicely concentrated, ending long, with hints of vanilla oak.

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District comes entirely from the estate's parcels in the Stags Leap District and checks in as 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec, all raised in 50% new barrels. It's clearly a successful 2022 and has a great nose of ripe red and black fruits, chocolaty wood, tobacco, and cedar pencils. A classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it's medium to full-bodied and has a round, plush mouthfeel and outstanding length. I'd be thrilled to drink a bottle any time over the coming decade. It reminds me of the 2019. Hats off to winemaker Elizabeth Vianna for a brilliant classic cuvée in a challenging vintage.

The nose is lifted and fresh, with aromas of wild blackberries, blueberries and herbs de Provence. The palate is full-bodied with notes of coffee beans, tobacco and cigar box. Drinkable now, but best from 2028.

Plump up front, with modestly juicy blackberry and plum compote notes, though they give way on the finish somewhat, leaving singed earth and apple wood to hang on. Drink now through 2030. 13,367 cases made.