Bryant Family Vineyard: tasting these elusive Napa Cabernets

Pritchard Hill is a little known enclave just west of the Silverado Trail and to the south of Howell Mountain. Donn Chappellet was the pioneer here, in 1969, then in the late 1980s Don Bryant, a businessman from St Louis, Missouri, bought neighbouring vineyards.

The vines were planted to a range of varieties, including Gamay, that were of no interest to Bryant. Moreover they were not well looked after. So he replanted the entire 6ha to Cabernet Sauvignon, although other Bordelais varieties were added later.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of six Bryant Family Vineyard wines

Bryant pulled out all the stops, hiring megastar consultant Helen Turley to oversee wine production, although 10 years later they had a spectacular falling out. She was replaced by Philippe Melka (almost as fashionable and sought-after in those days) and also by Michel Rolland. Napa’s most esteemed viticultural consultant, David Abreu, was also on board.

Unsurprisingly, the wines – initially pure Cabernet Sauvignon – attracted admiring attention from the critics, scores often ranging from 96 to 100. Production was also very limited and Bryant was able to charge, and obtain, very high prices.

New winemaker, fresh changes

The vineyards lie at an elevation of about 275m, planted on undulating slopes that face north and west. They benefit from breezes emanating from Lake Hennessey, which lies in the heart of Pritchard Hill. The soils are essentially clay, although they are of volcanic origin.

Over the past decade Bryant has been enjoying a new lease of life. Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot were added to the vineyards in 2014, and in 2016 there was a pure Cabernet Franc bottling.

Kathryn ‘KK’ Carothers joined as winemaker in 2018. She had previously worked for the biodynamic Adamvs Estate in Howell Mountain and, under her watch, Bryant began its own conversion. Early vintages aged in new oak, but Carothers modified the regime: now the red wines mature in about 70% new oak, the remainder in large casks or clay amphorae.

She has modified the range of wines too. Created in 2009, the Bettina cuvée, named after Bryant’s second wife, a former ballerina, blends parcels from vineyards owned and farmed by David Abreu. Unlike the estate wine, Bettina is a blend of Bordeaux varieties, although 85% tends to be from Cabernet Sauvignon. DB4 is the estate’s second wine, composed of lots not selected for the other two reds.

Reputation justified

I’ve been fortunate enough, over the past 30 years, to taste most of the Napa Valley‘s prestigious wines, including Screaming Eagle and Harlan. But Bryant – with the exception of its 1994 – has eluded me. That’s because distribution of already scarce wines has always been limited and, until January 2022, there was no British importer. Nor did Bryant enter its wines to wine competitions or other tastings.

I did rate that 1994 very highly though, so was curious to see whether Bryant’s stellar reputation was still justified during a tasting held by new UK importer Pol Roger in London recently.

It is. The secret to Bryant’s excellence must lie in its perfectly located vineyards, but there is more to it. ‘The key’, says Carothers, ‘is maniacal selection – in the vineyards and then in the winery, and there’s optical sorting too.’ No blocks are predestined for any of the wines. Once the wine is in barrel, she makes a further selection so that only the finest lots go into the two main cuvées.

The Bryants are keen that their wines should be able to age, and they do. Even the 1997, from a California vintage that in many cases is now in decline, is in vibrant form.

Bryant Family Vineyard: Stephen Brook rates six wines

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