95pts Jeb Dunnuck
Gorgeous black and blue fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and smoky tobacco notes all shine in the 2022 Cabernet Franc, a remarkably pure, silky, medium to full-bodied blend of 76% Cabernet Franc, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Merlot. While it shows the perfumed, accessible style of the vintage, it brings rock-solid depth and concentration, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Drink over the coming decade.
95pts Wine Advocate
In this heat-influenced vintage, Chappellet's 2022 Cabernet Franc is rather fruit-forward, loaded with cherries and only faintly herbal nuances. It's medium- to full-bodied, silky and velvety in texture across the palate and shows excellent structure and balance on the lingering finish.
93pts James Suckling
The nose is deep and brooding, with aromas of roasted coffee beans, blackcurrants and cedar. The palate is full-bodied with firmly integrated tannins and acidity and a viscous mouthfeel, giving notes of mulberry compote, cured meat and graphite. Very well constructed. Drinkable now, but best from 2028.
Winemaker Notes
Both elegant and intense, this wine showcases classic Cabernet Franc aromas of cedar, graphite, wild sage, black tea and thyme, as well as hints of red currant, rose petal, sweet, toasty oak and sandalwood. On the palate it is graceful, layered and beautifully balanced, with a velvety texture and seamless tannins framing sophisticated flavors of black cherry, anise and white pepper, with a note of earthy richness adding nuance to a long, complex finish.
Blend: 76% Cabernet Franc, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot
