Sips, Suds, & Smokes · One Tan Hand Productions

The good stuff is at the top of the hill

September 12, 2025·41 min·4 clips

The Chapelet Pritchard Hill Cabernet earns a rare five-sip rating, described as 'heaven in a glass' by the hosts.

Hosts Bob, Justin, and Harm convene for a wine-focused episode of their casual show. They blind taste and rate six California wines using their signature "sips" scale, from one to five. The lineup includes two sparkling wines from Chandon, two from Post & Beam, and two Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons from Maris and Chapelet. The Chandon Brut California is a non-vintage blend praised for green apple, lime, and almond croissant notes, though its finish is considered short. The Chandon Brut Rosé California offers stronger strawberry, watermelon, and pomegranate flavors with a longer, evolving finish. Post & Beam's 2023 Carneros Chardonnay presents lemon curd, pear, and a silky texture with well-integrated French oak. Their 2022 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon shows blackberry, cassis, and a cocoa finish after some aeration. The 2019 Maris Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerful, full-bodied wine with cassis, cedar, and velvety tannins aged 24 months in new French oak. The 2021 Chapelet Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is the standout, described as having concentrated fruit, potpourri, dark chocolate, and a "heaven in a glass" finish. A surprising fact is that Jefferson's Bourbon ages some of its whiskey in used Chapelet Pritchard Hill wine barrels. The hosts reveal they often chill white and sparkling wines beyond typical "wine geek" temperatures to mimic how most consumers drink them. They note the overall quality of California sparkling wine has dramatically improved over the past 15 years. An amusing aside involves a disturbing, off-color story from Justin that the others jokingly say requires PTSD treatment. The tone is relaxed, humorous, and filled with friendly banter between the three hosts. The style is conversational and educational, blending personal anecdotes with specific tasting notes and winery background information. Wine enthusiasts interested in approachable reviews of California wines, especially from Napa, will love this episode. Listeners who prefer tightly structured, formal wine criticism or are averse to crude humor might want to skip it.

As heard by us

A wine-heavy table talk that drifts between mousse, bubbles, barrel use, and jokes.

The episode runs like a wine table with the volume up: Chandon Brut California, Chandon Brut Rose California, Post and Beam Carnero Chardonnay 2023, Post and Beam Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Maris Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, and Chapelet Pritchard Hill Cabernet…

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Why you'd press play

For a loud, basement-studio wine hang with bubbles, Cab, and dead-serious nonsense.

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