BRAND Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
(Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley, California) - [TWI 98] [VM 97] [WA 95+]

About the Wine:
The 2021 BRAND Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is the purest expression of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate vineyard and winery on Pritchard Hill — 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, selected from the best barrels and crafted to reflect the power, wild grace, and finesse of the vineyard, made entirely in-house where thousands of small decisions go into every wine.

BRAND Hallmarks:
100% Pritchard Hill — organically farmed and made entirely on the Pritchard Hill estate in Napa Valley.
1,100+ Days — from vine to bottle, thoughtful (perhaps obsessive) attention to the countless details that go into the bottle.
1:1 Focus — made personal by the team and proprietors, deeply and tirelessly engaged with the place, process, and people that make the wine.
Wine Forward — inspired by the upstarts who built Napa Valley to make modern wine by revisiting first principles once more.

Growing:
Sourced from the estate vineyard on Pritchard Hill, with sweeping views from San Francisco Bay to Mount St. Helena. The upper vineyard sits at 1,400 feet elevation, above the fog, basking in morning sun and remaining cooler in the afternoon. The Sobrante soil series here is exceptionally rocky; the vines struggle for resources, producing fruit with small, intensely flavored berries. Harvested in September, the 2021 vintage achieved earlier ripening in part due to the well-drained soils and drought conditions. The vineyard is organically farmed using biodynamic practices from roots to shoots.

Making:
Fermentation by ambient natural yeast took place across a combination of barrels, upright oak tanks, and small double-jacketed stainless tanks, with each vessel matched to the characteristics of a unique one-acre vineyard block to elicit the greatest depth of flavor, structure, and perfectly integrated tannins in each lot. Aged in French oak barrels for 22 months before final blending, the wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Ratings & Reviews

98 Points - The Wine Independent:
"Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% of this variety. Black cherries, juicy black currants, and boysenberry notes come barreling out of the glass, leading to suggestions of licorice, chocolate box, and pencil shavings. The full-bodied palate has a rock-solid structure of firm yet beautifully ripe tannins and just enough freshness to support the tightly wound black fruits, finishing long and earthy. This beauty will need a lot of time but promises to be a jaw-dropper in 6-8 years and should cellar for thirty more." -Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Nov 2023)

97 Points - Vinous:
"The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulous. A wine of stature and vertical explosive energy, the 2021 is absolutely compelling. Blackberry, lavender, mocha, spice, menthol and crushed rocks all come alive in the glass. This intensely mineral, savory Cabernet Sauvignon has a ton to offer. The 2021 spent 20-25 days on skins, followed by 20 months in 69% new oak barrels—average for this property. Resplendent. Drinking Window: 2026-2039." -Antonio Galloni (Dec 2023)

95+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Brand's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon features scents of crushed stone and cedar shavings accenting intense aromas of black cherries and cassis. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied, tightly coiled and almost taut in feel, then eases into a long, velvety but tannic finish. Like the Proprietary Red, it seems sure to benefit from cellaring. Drinking Window: 2026-2045." -Joe Czerwinski (Mar 2024)