David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

This is the last fruit MH will get from Stagecoach. Gallo bought the vineyard. Seems the 1,300 acre site deal will help Gallo grow Orin Swift and Louis Martini, and down the road it may help it with new projects. Producers who purchased Stagecoach fruit include; Bryant Family Vineyard and Dalla Valle. Krupp sells fruit to more than 90 wineries, including Alpha Omega, Caymus, Duckhorn and Pahlmeyer.

Pretty nose with perfume, candied, purple florals. A lot beauty and elegance.

Beautiful tannins, soft, supple and dusty. Feel tiny in the mouth but are sweet & tarry. Ripe, juicy, blackberries, black raspberries, purple fruits, plum & strawberries. Powdery rocks, dry, river stone, light, fresh tobacco, used leather, steeped fruit tea, touch of fresh bay leaves, dark, rich soil, black licorice, chocolate cake, berry fruit cola, fresh, red, dark, purple and blue florals. Excellent rainfall acidity. Well structured, nice tension with very good balance. The long finish starts juicy, fruity and mixes in the soft earth. Lasts minutes. Hard to resist now and easy to drink young but would love to try this again in 10-15 years. — a year ago

Shay A

9.5

This was my contribution for a 10-yr retrospective of Napa cab with a local group. All wines (16 of them) were tasted blind. Others of note were Cardinale, Larkmead, Bryant Family, Vineyard 29, Corra and Jacquelyn To-Kalon.

My first experience with this wine, and when I acquired it, I wasn’t aware it was a 100 pointer. I’ve had many Hall wines but this is definitely their most structured wine. It’s fruit forward but in no way close to their other offerings. At 100% cab, it drinks like it. I let this breathe from bottle for about 2hrs before it was thrown in a decanter for another 2-3hrs and consumed. I had a splash at pop and it was crazy coiled, underripe and dusty. When I came back to it later (albeit blind, so I’m looking at my notes), it sported dark fruit on both the nose and the palate. Dark cocoa dipped black cherries, ripe blueberries and blackberries, as well as cassis and espresso aromatically. There was also a bit of a lavender/floral note that gave it a unique quality. On the palate, it eventually smoothed out beautifully, but was powerful the entire time. Dense and rich with added notes of fig, baking spices, and cocoa dusted fruits. One of those wines that makes you think overpowering, but then dials it down to silk on the finish. I think this is just entering a prime drinking window. Bummer I don’t have more. — 4 years ago

Matt Nason

9.2

Who gives a shit what it tastes like, Kobe Bryant is no longer with us. I’m from Cali and you couldn’t be more devastated. Pouring a taste out of this to Kobe. — 4 years ago

Ashkan

9.2

Not the muscat sprakling wine but saving this here for now — 5 years ago

Kristi Good

9.0

Drank with Emily and Bryant, hot tub night. He got it from out a cork in it. — 6 years ago

Ming L

9.2

Tor Kenward specialized in single vineyard CS from a few top sites, but the “Napa Valley” bottling is a blend of all the vineyards he works with. For 2014 the juice is predominantly from Melanson vineyard from Pritchard Hill, home to some of the most exquisite CS bottles in all of Napa - Chappellet, Bryant Family, Colgin, and Ovid.
Rich in black fruits but laced with red fruit freshness and elements of dusty earth, herbs, chocolate, and raisin. Luxurious mouthfeel. Broad yet precise. A refined beauty. — 6 years ago

James Forsyth

9.0

Very cool that this wine is served by the glass in Whole Foods (Bryant Park, NYC) at the pizza counter. Mid-weight and silky. Red fruit driven. Very tasty! — 6 years ago

Michael Piaker

9.0

25 November 2017. Bryant & Cooper Steak House, Roslyn, NY. — 6 years ago

Tom Garland

9.5

Inspire Napa Valley Sat night event...walk around tasting, dinner, auction at Round Pound estate.

Over 30 participating Wineries:
Sreaming Eagle
Bryant Estate
Dalla Valle vineyard
Memento Mori
Staglin Family
Vine Hill Ranch
Keplinger wines
Chappellet
TOR wines
Etc. — a year ago

with Brenda

Shay A

9.5

A friend had a “reduction party” as he was needing to thin out his cellar. Definitely a party I’m happy to attend!

Had the 2012 Odette Reserve or 2012 Bryant Family not been on the table, this may have won the night. Whereas the other two were drinking deliciously, this displayed more youthful notes than I expected. The fruit here was really bright...candied black cherries, fresh blueberries and blackberries, baking spices, toasted oak, and savory charcoal. Nicely compact on the palate...bing cherries dusted in dark chocolate shavings, Black Forest cake, sandalwood, and smoked meat. If opening now, decant for a few hours. — 4 years ago

with Mark and Weston

Martinez

9.5

Napa at its best. Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Cabernet Franc (22%) and Petit Verdot (18%) from the estate on Pritchard Hill in Oakville, (not far from Colgin and Bryant Family), including fruit from the Mondavi family’s famed and controversial To Kalon vineyard. Silky, opulent, balanced. Well integrated oak. Dried fruit. Hints of vanilla, chocolate — 4 years ago

Matt Trader

9.1

Beautiful Red Mt estate wines made by Todd Alexander, formerly of Bryant Family, and PlumpJack - coincidentally a Texan Native, or "lost soul" to Cali. — 5 years ago

Angel McKinley

9.2

Enjoyed this wine. — 5 years ago

Jasmine Hirsch

Sales & Marketing Hirsch Vineyards, founder In Pursuit of Balance

9.3

Natty night, part 2, with my girl Tess Bryant. — 6 years ago

with Tess

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.2

Beautiful Pinot Noir made by Todd Alexander from Force Majeure in Washington State and Bryant Family Vineyard in Napa. This bottling comes from the Monk’s Gate Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in Oregon and only 250 cases produced.

Mix of garnet and ruby red. Layered nose with notes of leather, forest floor, baking spices, perfumes blackberries, and a touch sweet smoky. Medium tannins and acidity (6/10) and medium bodied. Quite powerful and voluptuous for a Pinot Noir. Lots of purple flowers on the palate with some blue berries, twigs, dark spices, anise, gravel and some red berries, like currants and black cherries. Long and lingering finish. Drink will 2023.

Sample provided by winemaker, retail price is $49.00. — 6 years ago

with India

Vijay Parikh

9.4

Yes infanticide! Double decanted and through a aerator plus a two hour decant. It shows amazing promise but it’s likely fifteen or more years in the future which I don’t have! — a year ago

Shay A

9.4

On my first trip out to Napa (2015), Jarvis was one of the favorites, and so we went back in 2016 and again in 2018. We go to Napa every year, and it’s one of the only wineries we have visited multiple times.

This was part of a retrospective on 2012 Napa cabs, alongside Shafer HSS, Scarecrow, Morlet CdV, Bryant DB4, Dominus, Pulido Walker Melanson, Kapscandy, Buccella Cuvee Katrina Eileen and others. Definitely the most restrained.

For some reason, I always get a streak of green peppercorn on all of the reds from Jarvis. It’s not off putting, just a signature of the winemaking. I’ve never found these wines to be overblown/high alcohol. They aren’t quite Bordeaux like, but they are clearly in between current Napa style and a restrained bridge to Bordeaux. This 2012 was true to the above. Aromatics here has green peppercorn, tar, underripe black fruits and a very fragrant potpourri note. Even after being open a few hours this was strong with zippy acidity surrounded by pepper crusted blackberries, mocha, black cherries and even some leather (not Brett driven, though). Blind, maybe someone takes this to left bank Bordeaux in a ripe vintage…but the kiss of sweetness is hard to take away from Napa. Wonderfully delicious and complex Cabernet starting to enter a great drinking window.

— 2 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

10

The 2009 Bryant Family Wine Cabernet Sauvignon WWB, 100) is a stunning wine made by superstar winemaker Todd Alexander that is singing in harmony at the ten year mark. Aromatically intense, dense and downright intoxicating, the Cabernet slowly unveils Creme de cassis with shades of red bell pepper, mocha, tar, and anise that all come together in marvelously in the glass. The aromatic range is simply sensational as you are brought back to the glass for more decadence. On the mouth the seamless and weightless quality of the wine is quite remarkable. While showing obvious power and richness the seamless texture effortlessly glides across the mid-palate. The tannins have fully resolved in this muscular, yet elegant and sultry wine is astoundingly good now. Simply put, this is perfection in a bottle. Drink 2019-2040- 100 — 4 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.8

A Great night to say the least:
Magnum of Gargiulo money ranch road,
2000 Bryant, 25 year Macalllan. Totally forgot to post this pick from a few weeks back!
The Bryant drank as good as any French Bordeaux that I’ve ever had. The money ranch toad was mediocre in comparison and the 25 year Macallan was 2nd only to the amazing company we had in our house that night!!
Great times to say the least!
— 6 years ago

with Christine

Isaac Pirolo

9.2

Novelty Hill borrows from the ancient Latin phrase In Novale Novello, “in virgin ground I plant young vines,” for its name. I didn’t realize that there aren’t vines on the actual Novelty Hill in Washington (located about 5 miles east of Redmond). Oh well, so much for my Hill vs Hill face-off with Pritchard Hill’s Bryant Family. This 2014 Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon talks some serious smack, and even brings a serious punch, but that would have been Go-Karts vs Formula One. That said, this is one hell of a Go-Kart. In the low $20s, my first comparison is to Charles Smith’s Substance Cs, and this blows the doors off that wine, and more than justifies its slightly higher price-point. Jumps out of the glass with black cherry, cassis, mocha, licorice, and a heavily spiced cranberry potpourri, while still managing to weave in a savory undertone that emphasizes the noticeable balance. Washington offers extraordinary value across the board, but this is a value even by Washington standards. 92+ — 6 years ago