Winemaker Notes
Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon captures the core of their hillside estate. Layers of vibrant cassis, black cherry, and black currant interplay with savory infusions of graphite, sage, tapenade, and tobacco that unfold in unwavering strata. Texturally, the palate displays profound density and minerality, woven with finessed tannin and backed by a brightness, purity, and freshness that transcends to a seemingly endless and pure finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Velvety, rich and refined, this is generous in dark plums and blueberries on a suede-like texture of rounded tannins. Full-bodied but relaxed, almost creamy. Brilliant blend of 66% cabernet sauvignon, 19% cabernet franc, 10% merlot and 5% petit verdot.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon—just 253 cases from the estate vineyard on Pritchard Hill—features mixed red and black cherries, dressed up with pretty hints of sage and a floral-herbal, almost tea-like element. Unlike the more forward and flattering 2022, it's medium- to full-bodied, structured, silky and streamlined on the palate, with a long, focused finish framed by plenty of fine-grained tannins. This vintage needs plenty of time to relax and unwind, but it is assuredly a profound effort.
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Tasting Panel
Darker currants, smoked tobacco, crushed stone, and graphite notes all give the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon a Latour-like stature and regalness, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. One of the more inward and structured examples of this cuvée that I can remember, it's nevertheless flawlessly balanced, has everything in the right place, and is just a magical Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon that every reader would love to have in their cellar. It should have half a century of overall longevity.
Rating: 98+ -
Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is superb. Vibrant and dynamic in the glass, it captures all the energy of this great Pritchard Hill site. Graphite, pencil shavings, plum, leather, spice and lavender race across the palate. Its build is vertical and explosive, in classic Bryant style. All this needs is time in bottle. The 2021 is seriously impressive.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.