99 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, December 1998

The opaque purple-colored 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon offers a spectacular, exotic bouquet of Peking duck skins, blackberry and cassis liqueur, roasted herbs, and burning charcoal. It is phenomenally intense, with record levels of dry extract and glycerin. This hedonistic blockbuster is crammed with jammy fruits nicely buttressed and framed by adequate acidity and tannin. Drink this marvelous Cabernet Sauvignon now or cellar it for two decades. This is mind-boggling stuff!

99 -100 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, December 1997

The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon may be the single most profound unbottled Cabernet Sauvignon I have ever tasted. Since these wines are neither fined nor filtered, I have considerable confidence that what will be put into the bottle will be exactly the same as what I have tasted from the barrel. I am nearly at a loss for words to describe it. It displays blackberry, blueberry, and cassis aromas, along with those of smoke, licorice, and minerals. The wine is fabulously concentrated, deep, and long (I thought the finish lasted close to 60 seconds), with amazing ripeness, richness, and palate presence. All of this is accomplished without a sense of heaviness, weightiness, or palate fatigue. This is a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime creation that must be tasted to be believed! I recently wrote an article in Food and Wine magazine itemizing the characteristics of a great wine. They are: 1) the ability to please both the palate and the intellect, 2) the ability to hold the taster's interest, 3) the ability to offer intense aromas and flavors without heaviness, 4) the ability to taste better with each sip, 5) the ability to improve with age, and 6) the ability to offer a singular personality. This wine satisfies every one of those requirements.

100 points,

Wine Spectator, November 2000

Beautiful, perfumed aromas, tremendous depth, concentration, complexity and finesse, with layers of currant, cherry and berry flavors enlivened by coffee and cedary oak. Has earned that one missing point from last year's 99-point rating.--Bryant Family vertical. Drink now through 2016.

About Winery

Situated high above Lake Hennessey, Bryant Family Vineyard is one of a handful of Napa Valley vineyards that can claim the moderating influence of a large body of water.

Winds blow over the mountains from the west, are drawn down to and across the cool waters of Lake Hennessey and travel directly up a natural chute to the Bryant Family Vineyard. This breezeway makes the vineyard unique and enhances the quality of fruit as the winds cool the grapes on hot summer days.

The uniqueness of the fruit is the basis for this special wine along with an outstanding winemaking team and brand new, gravity fed winery that was specifically designed and constructed for this vineyard.

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