Wine Spectator’s #5 Wine of the Year. Suddenly it’s allocated! 

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Hiding in plain sight along the Silverado Trail, tucked into the heart of the eastside hills of the Stags Leap District, lies Chimney Rock. One of the first buildings erected along that side of the road, it was built back in 1980 by Hack and Stella Wilson; its notable Cape Dutch style seemingly more at home in South Africa than the Napa Valley. But, as the decades have passed, Chimney Rock has become as much a landmark for its stellar Bordeaux-styled wines as its architecture. With 119 acres currently under vine, as befits any estate in that part of Stags Leap, it’s a true Cabernet Sauvignon house known for its elegant, polished and complex bottlings sourced from various spots around the property. We say ‘hiding in plain sight’ because, despite its relative visibility in the Valley, it’s really been a few years since we actually sat down and tried any of their wines, a situation remedied the other day when we were presented the Chimney Rock 2021 SLD Cabernet, the one blended bottling assembled from the best parcels of the estate. Wow! This is really one of the best examples from this appellation we’ve tried in a very long time. Very much in touch with its Bordelaise DNA, there is uncommon finesse and a fineness to the tannins and structure we just loved, and that nicely articulated blackberry and Kirsch fruit is simply unmistakable. Silky like dark purple velvet on the palate, its graphite, anise and floral notes add depth and interest to a just-this-side of full-bodied red with a glossy finish that just goes on and on. Back in the day, I used to sell Vichon’s Cabernets sourced from the Fay Vineyard on the same side of the Stags Leap District and I found my taste memory alarm going off big time! Anyway, we liked the wine a lot and found, now that we’ve done some research, so does the press. That notwithstanding, it’s a lovely Napa Valley that those who like a more elegant, burnished style of Cab will very much enjoy, not only as a young wine but with many years on it too. As it happens, we’ve got a pretty stupendous price on it……  

 Jeb Dunnuck: The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District is based on 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot, and minuscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec that's all from estate fruit in the Stags Leap District. It offers a pure, medium to full-bodied, incredibly elegant style as well as tons of minerality in its red and black fruits, ripe, building tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and just a kiss of background oak. 95 points

Wine Spectator: Super lush and polished in feel, with creamy-textured açai, mulberry and cassis notes gliding through slowly. Laced with alluring hints of violet, iris and anise, this offers a melted licorice note on the finish, but the fruit wins out easily. 94 points

James Suckling: Attractive aromas of blackcurrants, walnuts, spiced cedar and black olives. Full and creamy yet polished and sleek with bright fruit and fine, slightly chewy tannins. Chalky finish.  93 points

Wine Advocate: Chimney Rock's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District is pretty textbook stuff, delivering black cherries and cassis dusted in dried earth and mixed spices. Medium to full-bodied, it's silky and fine, not overpowering but rather elegant, with a long, lingering finish. 92 points