Bryant Family Vineyard
One of the first Califonian cult wineries to emerge in the early 1990s along with Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate, was the Bryant Family Vineyard. It was created by an art collector and businessman, Donald Bryant. His first release was the 1992 vintage, produced from grapes grown on Pritchard Hill, a vineyard that he had planted in 1985. With the spirited and talented Helen Turley as winemaker, the first few vintages were well-received, with critical acclaim from Robert Parker, propelling it into stardom (1992 - 91 points followed by the 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 - all 97-100 points). Philippe Melka took over winemaking responsibilities in the early 2000s. Todd Alexander is currently at the winemaking helm, working alongside Michel Rolland as consulting oenologist. David Abreu works as the vineyard manager. In addition to their estate Cabernet Sauvignon, they make DB4, Bryant Family's second wine, as well as a Bordeaux-blend called Bettina, with grapes sourced from three of David Abreu's exceptional estate vineyards.