2014 Bettina

These 2014s from Bryant are impressive. They are among the first wines that reflect Proprietor Bettina Bryant’s total obsession with quality and the consistency she put into place as she took over day-to-day management of the winery. In the early going, I thought the Bryant Estate was a bit more complete than the Bettina, but in time the Bettina has pulled slightly ahead. Both are compelling.

Winemaker Marc Gagnon arrived at Bryant from Screaming Eagle in June 2014 and made an immediate impact. Gagnon describes 2014 as a year with a long growing season that started early and ended early. Perhaps more importantly, there were no heat spikes, which gave Gagnon the opportunity to pick each block at his choosing. Among other things, Gagnon sought freshness in 2014, clearly relying on the approach he learned at Screaming Eagle, and also lowered the use of new oak slightly. I remember tasting the 2014s from barrel that fall. The wines were striking then. They are even more beautiful today. Winemaking often comes down to knowing when to do what. In 2014, Gagnon crushed it. The bottled 2014s are fresh, vibrant and full of intensity. These are extraordinary wines. It's as simple as that. Two thousand fifteen was a much more complex vintage. Here, too, the wines are looking good. Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention the DB4, Bryant's second wine, which is one of the very best Napa Valley wines readers will find in its price range. The early Napa cult estates like Bryant sometimes take quite a bit of criticism for their high prices, which, is at times, frankly, justified. Bryant is one of just a few top-tier Napa Valley estates that also gives consumers a more affordable option to their flagship wines. Readers who have not tasted these wines in a number of years owe it to themselves to do so.

My most recent visit to Bryant was full of mixed emotions. It was the first time I can remember that Don Bryant was not around, as health issues have unfortunately become more debilitating. At the same time, though, the 2014s I saw are some of the very finest wines I have tasted here. Newly arrived winemaker Marc Gagnon has brought a high level of sensibility to these wines, drawing from his background in art history and his work experience in wine, the most recent of which was at Screaming Eagle. Gagnon has moved pick dates up slightly and increased the diversity of barrel suppliers. I even saw one terra cotta amphora that is being used in 2015. Kudos to President Bettina Bryant for giving Gagnon a measure of freedom to experiment. Now, it's up to the Bryants to create organizational stability, something that has been the Achilles heel here for some time. It is hard enough to make good wine, very hard to make truly great wine and nearly impossible to do either consistently without continuity. As for the wines themselves, well, the 2014s are full of promise. Like many of his colleagues, Gagnon gave the 2014s a bit more time on the skins. If he can capture what he has in barrel, Gagnon could very well make two fabulous 2014s. The 2013s are wines of transition and, therefore, more variable and also noticeably heavier in style. I would be remiss in not mentioning that the DB4, Bryant's second wine, remains one of the finest values in Napa Valley today.