Bryant Family Vineyard

According to Parker, “wine from this hillside vineyard near Napa’s Pritchard Hill has already become mythical. This is a wine of world-class quality, and is certainly as complete and potentially complex as any first-growth Bordeaux. It is not too much to suggest that in the future, Bryant’s Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon might well be one of the wines that redefines greatness in Cabernet Sauvignon.”

However, not every year was a smooth sail for this legendary vineyard. In the early 2000s, the winery experienced turmoil beginning with Helen Turley’s well publicized lawsuit against Donald Bryant over her firing. In the years that followed, the vineyard saw many winemakers come through – first Philippe Melka, then Mark Aubert (2007-2009), Ross Wallace (2010), Helen Keplinger (2011), and Todd Alexander (2012 -2013). Since 2013, Marc Gagnon, formerly of another cult icon - Screaming Eagle, has been the winemaker.

Despite the troubles, Bryant Family Vineyard, located at the northern end of Pirtchard Hill is one of the greatest sites that Napa Valley has to offer. With west-facing slope perfectly positioned to capture the prevailing cool lake breezes, while also providing protection form drying canyon winds. The unique combination of rocky Sobrante soil, sunlight, cool breezes, soil depth, and meticulous farming yields wine of exceptional quality year after year.

Stylistically, to borrow James Suckling’s words, the Bryant Family Vineyard wines are aromatic and vivid with blackberries, fresh mushrooms, blackcurrants, and flowers. Full-bodied, firm, and very silky. They are reminiscent of the great Napa reds of the 1950s and 1960s and will age well

One of the most concentrated yet opulent Cabernet Sauvignons in the world. A blockbuster wine with great elegance. The wine has an immense balance, with jammed cassis fruit, lovely acidity and super, smooth tannins. Due to its high concentration and density, it prefers ten to fifteen years of cellaring before delivering its best. 

Located 1500 feet up on Pritchard Hill, Bryant Family’s 10-acre vineyard enjoys a unique terroir. The western winds bring the cooling air to the site allowing 5 to 10 degrees cooler growing conditions, which in turn keeps the acidity levels high. The poor, rocky terrain provides very little nutrients and water to the vines that yield grapes with a higher concentration. Yet the hillside orientation treats the vines equally when it comes to distribution of sunlight. 

Philosophy in winemaking Bryant Family’s philosophy seems to be based on super low yields in order to obtain maximum concentration in the grapes. The naturally boosted grapes are then vinified using modern technology in gravity-oriented winery facilities. Part of the success story of the Bryant Family wines has been the winemaking team, which has always been led by highly appreciated wine consultants. The famous Helen Turley was the first of these, followed by Philippe Melka, Mark Aubert and now Todd Alexander together with Michel Rolland.

Donald L. Bryant, Jr., is driven by the pursuit excellence and realizing the full potential of his extraordinary Pritchard Hill estate. Investing in his passion for wine, the St. Louis businessman acquired the 13-acre vineyard overlooking Lake Hennessey in the late 1980s and replanted it with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon using modern viticulture practices. The first vintage was released in 1992, and soon after Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon won critical acclaim and became internationally recognized as a world-class wine. Don Bryant’s goal is to celebrate the first-growth vineyard terroir while paying homage to the great winemaking traditions of Bordeaux.

Bettina Bryant was appointed President of the winery in 2014, after serving as Vice President for more than five years. Bettina is committed to honoring the legacy her husband Don has created at Bryant Family Vineyard. Bettina’s varied prior experience as a film producer, consultant, art curator and American Ballet Theatre dancer provide her with extensive knowledge and skill in executive management, strategic business development as well as an appreciation for the artistic considerations of the winemaking process. She is committed to ensuring stylistic consistency and producing wines of the highest quality and she is dedicated to the long-term stewardship of the land.

Bryant Family Vineyard is located at the northern end of Prichard Hill and overlooks Lake Hennessey. The vineyard’s west-facing slope is perfectly positioned to capture the prevailing cool lake breezes, while also providing protection from drying canyon winds. The unique combination of rocky Sobrante soil, sunlight, cool breezes, soil depth and meticulous farming site to yield wines of exceptional quality.

David Abreu is a third generation Napa Valley native whose interest in farming dates back to his youth. He founded David Abreu Vineyard Management in 1980, and has since built a reputation for meticulous vineyard care with the sole aim of making the best wine possible from any given site. With more than 12 years working with our vineyard, David and his team have intimate experience with the property and farm it to perfection. David’s knowledge, standard of excellence and superb palate make him a tremendous asset to the Bryant Family Vineyard team.

Lucia Howell Mountain is one of three exceptional vineyards from which BETTINA is sourced. Located at an elevation of 2,100 feet, the vineyard consists of Aiken volcanic soils strewn with rhyolite pebbles. A cool site with excellent sun exposure, the Lucia Howell Mountain soils display a compelling combination of richness and minerality, creating BETTINA’s powerful structure and lucid aromatics.

Madrona Vineyard is one of three exceptional vineyards from which BETTINA is sourced. Situated on the western outskirts of St. Helena where the valley meets the hills, Madrona Ranch’s prime location is ideal for accumulating sloughed-off soil from the adjacent mountain. With a soil combination of Pleasanton and Aiken loams, the vineyard’s dark and intense fruit fleshes out the wine and delivers a structured weight to the wine’s mid-palate.

Thorevilos Vineyard is one of three exceptional vineyards from which BETTINA is sourced. Located on a west-facing slope in the eastern hills of St. Helena, the Thorevilos Vineyard’s white tufa rock and volcanic clays help create well-drained, mineral-rich soils. The resulting fruit from this vineyard displays strong varietal characteristics, which help to build the backbone of the BETTINA wine.

“A wine in the bottle is the accumulation of incalculable little brushstroke nuances. It is the clipping of one cane instead of another, the removal of one cluster over an adjacent one, the timing and the moment of picking, and the deliberation of including 50% of one barrel into a blend. While there are an infinite number of potentialities that come out of small choices, much of it comes down to this: it is intention behind them that matters. Caring so much about every detail influences a wine in such a way and makes it what it is. Being in touch with the process, to be present with each other, each vibration, each experience, each smell, each taste, and each interaction with the small moments, from start to finish, these are nuances that make a difference and make the content of a wine what it is. It is intention for the grander vision. A winemaker has a concept for the final product, sometimes even an unconscious one. It is when we go with our gut and our intuition to make decisions that physical results are achieved.”

Kathryn Carothers

Michel Rolland has been a valued member of the Bryant Family Vineyard team for more than 10 years. Considered the most esteemed wine consultant in the world, Rolland provides a wealth of experience, an outside perspective, as well as expert palate. His exceptional talent in the blending process has solidified the Bryant Family Vineyard signature style.

Kathryn "KK" Carothers joined Bryant Family Vineyard as a harvest intern and has since been promoted to Enologist and then Assistant Winemaker in 2014. She succeeded Marc Gagnon as the winemaker from 2018 onwards. A graduate of New York’s Cornell University, K.K. first became interested in wine after her Horticulture Professor suggested she take his Introduction to Viticulture and Enology course. Prior to joining Bryant Family, she worked harvests at wineries in New York, Napa Valley, France and Australia.

“Our vision is about achieving excellence. We endeavor to create beautiful wines that are the ultimate expression of the exceptional terroir. We also believe that relationships are key to success, and seek out the most qualified, passionate, talented, and dedicated individuals to accomplish our goals.”

       - Bettina and Donald L. Bryant, Jr.

Scientists have traced the origins of Napa Valley soils back 145 million years. Accumulated in shallow waters beneath the young Sierra Nevada Mountains, sandstone and shale deposits formed the rocks of the Great Valley Sequence. Petrifying in the subaquatic depression, the rocks ground and twisted under the colliding tectonic plates. Over the course of 25 million years, these tectonic plates shifted and collided, resulting in volcanoes that rained lava and volcanic ash over the valley. Eventually, volcanic deposits along with sandstone and shale were forced upward, forming the Vaca Mountain Range, where BRYANT ESTATE currently sits. Vast areas of eroded sandstone and shale blanket the area just below the winery.

At its boundaries, the terrain becomes rocky—the basalts and andesitic rocks a testament to the massive lava flows of the Sonoma Volcanic Era. To develop the vineyard, numerous volcanic boulders were removed. The remaining rock formations provide deep fissures where foraging grapevine roots find moisture and nutrient-rich minerals. Since the end of the Ice Age, intense weathering caused by heavy rainfall in the area pulled potassium and silicate minerals off the surface and left behind rich brown clay loam. The predominant vineyard soils are known as Hambright, Guenoc and Sobrante. These geologically young soils are intensely mineral-rich, thereby producing extraordinarily powerful wines.