2016 BRAND Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon "BRIO"
Community Tasting Note
sirpat00 wrote:
91 Points
Thursday, February 25, 2021 - Virtual tasting with proprietor Jim Bean. Awash with sweet spices of ginger bread, anise and Asian spice surrounding a red currant fruit . Excessively sweet for my taste. Rather soft texture with lots of acidity and lighter bodied than I would have expected. Easy to find pleasure here if you‘re a sweet mouth, but you won't find much "terroir" or unique character here.
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Comment posted by RockinCabs:
3/1/2021 7:20:00 PM - What was your overall impression of the estate after this tasting? I have had a few bottles, and am considering buying the 18s, but I just get the sense they could do better. Too many on Pritchard Hill that hired Melka and he does not lead the pack for me.
Comment posted by sirpat00:
3/2/2021 6:21:00 AM - Uuuh that sounds like hersey! ;)
Well on the Brio specifically I have to say I have scored it higher in the past (93) and I think it is actually fair value for money. I've tasted quite a few of Melka's wines in recent years and to your point, while fully aware that is very easy for me as a layman to take a sip and judge, I remain unimpressed overall and struggle to find wines that could justify 95 or more - which I would expect for the price bracket these are typically retailing in. Agree with you, Melka appears all over the place - but then again many are, just think of Thomas Rivers Brown...
From Prichard Hill Colgin is the non-plus-ultra for me, but that is a different league. From the more direct peers I actually prefer the only "real" Prichard Hill cabs from Chappellet.
Ultimately, it is a matter of taste and the Brand wines are absolutely fine and no one will ever blame you for serving one of those bottles. But my personal opinion is if you want to stock up on 2018 Prichard Hill, maybe go for Chappelet or Melanson from Pulido-Walker instead.