Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Chappellet – Signature Chenin Blanc – 2024 🇺🇸
Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley AVA – California, USA

Overview
An exceptional and expressive Chenin Blanc from the iconic slopes of Pritchard Hill. Crafted by winemaker Phillip Corallo-Titus, this small-production white showcases the precision and elegance that Chappellet is known for.
Molly Chappellet’s signature featured on the label, along with the distinct bottle silhouette, reflects her refined aesthetic and the wine’s singular personality.

Aromas & Flavors
A vibrant aromatic spectrum: lemon, fresh pineapple, nectarine, and tropical white flowers. Subtle French-oak influence reveals whispers of nutmeg, vanilla, and lightly toasted spice without overshadowing the fruit purity.

Mouthfeel
Bright and lively with toned acidity that keeps the wine energetic. Layers of citrus, lychee, and stone fruit unfold across the palate, finishing with candied lemon zest, mineral lift, and a refreshing, persistent length.

Food Pairings
Perfect with grilled halibut, lemon-herb chicken, shrimp scampi, soft goat cheese, or spring vegetable risotto. Its acidity and texture make it incredibly versatile at the table.

Verdict
A stunning, beautifully composed Chenin Blanc that highlights Napa Valley’s ability to produce world-class whites beyond Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Elegant, complex, and irresistibly fresh, a wine that captivates from first aroma to final sip.

Did You Know?
Chenin Blanc was once widely planted in Napa Valley in the 1960s–70s. Chappellet is one of the rare estates preserving and elevating this noble Loire variety on premium hillside terroir.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
A uniquely compelling white that impressed me from the first whiff, polished, aromatic, and brimming with personality. One of the most memorable Chenin Blanc expressions coming out of California today. Cheers! — 3 months ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.3

Who doesn’t judge a book by its cover? The faux Olivetti typewriter font crowding the label screamed Bea and our aesthetic judgment was correct. The acolytes have done the master proud, this is wild: great tannins, a big blueberry note, pepper, leather, fennel, fabulous nose. Really in a great spot right now after 2 hr decant. — 6 years ago

with Alsu

David Shaw

8.9

Light golden yellow, excellent clarity. Floral and honey nose, spicy and dry in mouth with white flower flavor. Long mineral finish. Mouthfeel (viscosity) on the heavy side, but reasonably good acidity. A different aesthetic going on here so give it a chance. 50/50 barrel and tank fermented. 13% alc/vol. The back label claims there’s peach flavor in there, but you’ll need to wait an hour for it to emerge, and it’s a faint underripe peach note, at least initially. — 2 years ago

Jill Barclay

9.2

A really solid well balanced brew! The aesthetic can doesn’t hurt either. Refreshing with the right hoppiness to kick it up and doesn’t skimp on it’s job. — 5 years ago

Bloody Amateur

9.2

Pignoletto. (With a hint of Riesling? Maybe apocryphal, but I like the story.) Cloudy, at a glance. And clearer, in an aesthetic sense, than most anything I’ve tasted in a long while. I needed this. — 6 years ago

James Forsyth

9.1

Gallow Green is a gorgeous rooftop restaurant on top of the venue that hosts Sleep No More and several music and variety acts. As with these attractions, the aesthetic is on point. The salads are tasty if tiny. The pizzas are delicious and taste like they are hiding a wood fired oven round the back somewhere.

$25 corkage is a good thing too.

The wine I brought along has black fruit, supple tannins, tar and leather. It more than held up to the pizzas and, like the food, disappeared very quickly. — 8 years ago

Roya Herrle

9.0

i loved this bottle, maybe it was the aesthetic — 3 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.1

Very fresh wild herbs & just picked red fruits on the nose. Wild raspberries & currants on palate, resolutely medium to medium light bodied. Low tannins yet nicely chewy. Dig the no label/only a hanging tag aesthetic. Very enjoyable, shared with friends at local restaurant/ wine bar, which had this for under 50- always a sight to behold — 4 years ago

Moe

9.1

From back label. Located on a high-elevation, steep glacial terrace in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. This stunning site has clay and pedogenic lime soil, featuring schist and quartz.
A traditional aesthetic - respectful, patient, vineyard- focused- resonates in our approach, and frees the wine to express the unique tenor of our sites.

This wine was fermented using only indigenous ‘ wild’ yeast and matured for 17 months in French oak barrels. This wine was bottled unfiltered on 10th of November 2016. Careful cellaring will reward collectors over the next 10+ years. 1046 cases were made. — 6 years ago

Jessie Lebouef

8.9

Thought this would be a aesthetic wine , all face no flavor but it’s actually good quality. Mid dry with some tartness , great balance of acidity and some peachy fruitiness to it . Great for conversation wine or friendly gift . The cat cork and bottle is cute bonus . Worth the $12 if you fancy aesthetics and flavor . — 8 years ago