Wine Enthusiast: Volcanic Hillsides and Historic Vineyards: Meet Napa’s Mayacamas Region

Wine Enthusiast: Volcanic Hillsides and Historic Vineyards: Meet Napa’s Mayacamas Region
Virginie Boone, June 2022

“…Julien Fayard makes the BRION and Julien Fayard Sleeping Lady Cabernets. “The vineyard gets a lot of morning light and morning cooling,” he says. “Sleeping Lady is closer to the mountain and closer to the Bay, slightly sloped to the east and not prone to sunburn or heat damage. The grapes get a little longer hangtime, the tannins are more complete. There’s a lot of minerality and complex density.”

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Latitude 33 Magazine: Fabled Vines

Latitude 33 Magazine: Fabled Vines
Justine Amodeo, Spring/Summer 2022

“…The series of rooms and alcoves devoted to hospitality culminate in a spacious salon where the Wises share their wines with selected guests. Ronda’s signature touch is evident throughout—a warmly eclectic environment that mixes vintage furniture with Wild West Remington bronzes and art posters from 1920s Paris in subtly themed rooms that are filled with curiosities.”

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Departures Magazine: The Best Red Wines to Drink This Year

Departures Magazine: The Best Red Wines to Drink This Year
Jonah Flicker, January 2021

2016 BRION Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
“…This single vineyard 100% cabernet sauvignon from BRION comes from Napa’s Oakville Ranch vineyard. A long finish is preceded by big, ripe berries, mingled chocolate and vanilla, and bright flashes of citrus. This winery is a relatively new endeavor making bold moves early on.”

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Forbes: BRION’s Single-Vineyard Terroir-Driven Cabs Worthy Of Cult Status

Forbes Magazine: BRION’s Single-Vineyard Terroir-Driven Cabs Worthy Of Cult Status
Kim Westerman, August 2021

“…At a recent lunch with Fayard, the talented winemaker waxed poetic about minimal intervention and really listening to the grapes and following them where they lead. It’s clear that [Brion] Wise places a great deal of trust in Fayard and the other team members to execute his vision. And these luminous wines express that vision with equal parts grace and confidence.”

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BRION 2021 Summer Dinner Series

BRION 2021 Summer Dinner Series
Saturday, September 18, 2021: Chef Michael Chiarello & Winemaker Julien Fayard

Winemaker Julien Fayard (left); Chef Michael Chiarello (right)

Hosted by Vintners Brion and Ronda Wise, along with Winemaker Julien Fayard, this multi-course dinner will be prepared and presented by Chef Michael Chiarello, Executive Chef and Owner of Coqueta as well as Bottega Napa Valley. Chef Chiarello is one of America’s noteworthy restaurateurs, with appearances on The Next Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters, among other televised culinary shows. Chef Chiarello’s menu will be inspired by one of Napa Valley’s renowned Italian restaurants, Bottega Napa Valley, with meticulously sourced seasonal ingredients that pair with the elegant BRION wines crafted by Julien Fayard from the Sleeping Lady Vineyard.

“I’ve always believed that wine is best enjoyed in good company and with good food. That is why we created this Summer Dinner Series. My wife Ronda and I are excited to have the opportunity to sit with guests and enjoy a bottle together with great cuisine. These dinners are designed to enhance attendees love for terroir-driven wines. It is important to us that we create a true sense of spirit and place at BRION and we are starting with this dinner series and these incredible chefs.” —Brion Wise

To make reservations, contact us: 707.339.7686 or inquire@brionwines.com

Wine Spectator: Napa & Sonoma Open Up

Wine Spectator: Napa & Sonoma Open Up
Kim Marcus, Tim Fish, MaryAnn Worobiec, and Aaron Romano, June 2021

“…BRION makes single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from top appellations in Napa and Sonoma, overseen by a trio of talented winemakers—Julien Fayard, Mark Herold and Massimo Monticelli—who each specialize in a given site… For an exploration of Cabernet far from the madding crowd, BRION is hard to beat.”

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Robb Report: These Cabernets from BRION Will Change How You Think About Napa Cabs

Robb Report: These Cabernets From Brion Will Change How You Think About Napa Cabs
Sara L. Schneider, May 2021

“Brion Wise has employed not one, but three, winemakers to coax the best out of his four vineyards’ terroir.…‘My intent was, and is, to marry each vineyard with a winemaker whose style best fits what comes from the land.’ That human understanding is critical, in Wise’s view, to making the best wine possible from a place. ‘What you do in the vineyard,’ he says, ‘goes all the way through to the bottle. Having winemakers that understand that, and understand what the vineyard delivers and how to extract that is everything. Farming techniques are critical in this process, and our philosophy is not to change what the vineyard delivers.’...The deft—and different—hands in these vineyards and on the wines show, and create a snapshot of diversity in the BRION 2016 lineup that Napa critics often fail to see.”

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Forbes: Exploring The Cabernet Sauvignon Of Napa Valley, Part One: Stags Leap District And Yountville

Forbes Magazine: Exploring The Cabernet Sauvignon Of Napa Valley, Part One: Stags Leap District And Yountville
Brian Freedman, March 2021

BRION Sleeping Lady Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Yountville
“…Utterly gorgeous as soon as you smell it, with perfumed aromas ... Sipping this reveals a palate of stunning elegance, with wonderful sweet tannins framing flavors of warm figs, dark berries, a hint of black plums, savory Middle Eastern spices, cedar, graphite that rings through the finish, and high-cacao chocolate. Now or in 25 years, this is a winner.”

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San Francisco Magazine: 5 San Francisco Happenings You Don't Want To Miss This Month

San Francisco Magazine: 5 San Francisco Happenings You Don’t Want To Miss This Month
Nikol Slatinska, February 2021

“…Now, BRION patrons can test the terroir-driven cabernets in the new tasting room, one of California’s two restored bank barns dating back to 1876.”

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Haute Magazine: BRION Boasts a Bevy of Fine Winemakers

Haute Magazine: BRION Boasts a Bevy of Fine Winemakers
Fran Miller, January 2021

“…Julien Fayard, Mark Herold, and Massimo Monticelli make up BRION’s esteemed winemaking team. Together, they are dedicated to producing site-specific, terroir-driven Cabernet Sauvignon, expressed through a collection of small-lot, handcrafted wines from unique single-vineyard sites.”

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