Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Wonderful floral, fresh and bright aromas with excellent nuances of dark fruit, spices and fresh tobacco. Pencil shaving. Leafy. Mushrooms, too. Full-bodied, tight and clean. A racy and balanced Bettina. The balance is extremely impressive for this vintage. Drink in 2021.
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Vinous
The 2015 Bettina is the most vibrant of these 2015s from Bryant, especially on the palate. Dark red fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, new leather, mocha and a kiss of French oak open first, supported by bright acids. The oak imprint remains quite strong, but the wood has integrated well. Red cherry jam, pomegranate, mocha and espresso are some of the nuances that linger.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Bettina Bryant Proprietary Red Wine has ripe black berry, black plums and black pepper notes over earthy/loam and forest floor nuances. Medium to full-bodied with a pleasantly earthy restraint in the mouth, it has a solid frame of chewy tannins and good length. This was tasted as a barrel sample. Rating 91-93.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.