The 2009 Bettina Bryant is a striking wine graced with exquisite aromatics and beautifully delineated fruit. It is a bit darker, firmer and more inward than the Bryant Cabernet Sauvignon. Espresso, spices, black cherries, tobacco, leather and red berries are woven together beautifully in this fabulous Bordeaux-style blend. This is a drop-dead gorgeous wine. The only problem is that it might very well challenge the Bryant Cabernet! In 2009 the blend is 55.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23.8% Cabernet Franc, 16.9% Merlot and 3.7% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2029. Don Bryant’s hillside vineyard occupies a gorgeous position above Lake Hennessey. The wines capture the very best qualities of what makes Napa Valley so compelling. Although they are quite showy when young, the wines also age exceptionally well. The 2009s are strikingly beautiful. They aren’t huge wines, but rather Cabernets that impress for their superb balance. The 2010s will thrill readers who appreciate a bolder, more powerful style. The Bettina Bryant is a new wine Don Bryant has dedicated to his wife Bettina made from fruit sourced from David Abreu’s vineyards Madrona Ranch, Thorevilos and Lucia Howell Mountain. I was also able to convince Bryant to show me the second wine of Bryant, DB Four, although it took every ounce of my persuasive powers.Tel. (707) 963-0483