1995 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley California USA Wine Tasting Note
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1995
Jammy fruits, oak, coffee bean and hints of dill create the perfume. On the palate, you can sense some heat and extreme ripeness. Yes the texture is silky, but it’s made in a style that is not aging well. Drink up. 3,722 Views Tasted Dec 9, 2015Clearly, this wine was not at the level of previous bottles tasted just 2 years ago. Either this wine has started to fade and drop its fruit, or this was an off bottle. At 18 years of age, I suspect the wine requires drinking in the near future. 3,306 Views Tasted May 9, 2013This is filled with smoke, cassis, licorice, truffle, chocolate and coffee scents. Sexy, supple, soft and silky, this opulent wine feels like velvet when it spills over your palate. Combining lushness and intensity, this stellar wine finishes with a rich chocolate covered, cherry finish, What a treat! 3,894 Views Tasted Feb 24, 2011 |
Everything about Bryant Family Vineyard Wines, Napa Valley California Cabernet Sauvignon, wine producer profile, wine tasting notes, wine and food pairing tips, best vintages, history of the property, information on their wine making techniques, terroir and soil. You can also read about the Grapes used for California wine and learn about the extensive History of Napa Valley, California Wines
Bryant Family History, Overview
The Bryant Family Vineyard made its debut in 1992. At the time, the famed winemaker Helen Turley was in charge of producing the wine. It only took two short years before the 15 acre, Pritchard Hill estate located just above Lake Hennessey began turning out world-class wines. For a world class winery, Bryant Family Vineyards has experienced a massive turnover in their winemakers. Helene Turley was the original winemaker. Helene Turley was the winemaker from 1992 until 2001.
At that point in time, a lawsuit was filed between Turley and Bryant Family Vineyards. Turley was replaced in 2001 by Philippe Melka. Following Philippe Melka was Ross Wallace, Mark Aubert, Helene Keplinger, Todd Alexander and Marc Gagnon joined Bryant Family in 2014. David Abreu is the vineyard manager and completing the team is the famed Bordeaux wine consultant, Michel Rolland.
Bryant Family Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking
Bryant Family Vineyard wines are produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are fermented in open top, stainless steel, temperature controlled fermenters. The property has an even number of fermentation vats to coincide with their parcels allowing them to vinify each parcel on a separate basis. Bryant Family wine is aged in 100% new French oak barrels. The majority of Bryant Family Vineyard wines are sold through a mailing list to long-time private customers.
Bryant Family Vineyard wines combine lush, soft, textures, intensity of flavor and power, with silky tannins to produce one of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon wines in the Napa Valley.
Bryant Family Vineyard introduced a second wine, Le Petit Bryant in 2004. They have since added two additional wines to their portfolio, a Cabernet Sauvignon based wine, DB4, which is probably named after the owner, Don Bryant and not for a vintage Aston Martin. The next release for Bryant Family was the Cabernet Sauvignon based Bettina Bryant. Bettina is the name of Don Bryant's wife. The fruit is sourced from vineyards owned by David Abreu. They come from his parcels located in Madrona Ranch, Thorevilos and Lucia Howell Mountain vineyards.
Serving and Decanting Bryant Family with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Bryant Family wines are best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Young vintages of their red wine can be decanted for 1-3 hours, depending on the character of the vintage. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Bryant Family Wines are best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, ribs, hamburgers, barbecue, roasted, braised, grilled dishes and stews. Bryant is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms and pasta.