King of Pritchard Hill

[D_Mowe]

@HoosJustinG

I think the King of Pritchard Hill - in terms of winemaking - is actually the Queen, and it’s KK at Bryant. They certainly had their extraction era as well but are going the opposite direction now.

This 100% along with OVID.

A lot of the folks mentioned upstream are buying fruit from Houyi (past tense now its owned by Realm) and Melanson. Dont know many others selling fruit. If I am not mistaken, there are only 10 estate wineries on the hill -

Chappellet
Colgin
CONTINUUM
Bryant
Gandona
BRAND
OVID
David Arthur
REALM
Del Dotto

As for wineries with estate vineyards, Bryant has pulled things in drastically and are making outstanding expressions of that hill. OVID also with Austin Peterson who is one of the most brilliant winemaker/viticulturists in Napa Valley. He has also been pulling in extraction and oak usage a lot over the last several vintages.

Gandona and BRAND have new winemaking teams in place but 23’s will be first vintage for new team at Gandona and Brand will be the 24’s - Both are now Graeme MacDonald.

[Ben_M_a_n_d_l_e_r]

Of the Pritchard Hill wines I’ve tried (I confess I haven’t had David Arthur or Gandona), Bryant has been my favorite by a good margin.

[Daniel_Walsh]

@D_Mowe

@HoosJustinG

I think the King of Pritchard Hill - in terms of winemaking - is actually the Queen, and it’s KK at Bryant. They certainly had their extraction era as well but are going the opposite direction now.

This 100% along with OVID.

A lot of the folks mentioned upstream are buying fruit from Houyi (past tense now its owned by Realm) and Melanson. Dont know many others selling fruit. If I am not mistaken, there are only 10 estate wineries on the hill -

Chappellet
Colgin
CONTINUUM
Bryant
Gandona
BRAND
OVID
David Arthur
REALM
Del Dotto

As for wineries with estate vineyards, Bryant has pulled things in drastically and are making outstanding expressions of that hill. OVID also with Austin Peterson who is one of the most brilliant winemaker/viticulturists in Napa Valley. He has also been pulling in extraction and oak usage a lot over the last several vintages.

Gandona and BRAND have new winemaking teams in place but 23’s will be first vintage for new team at Gandona and Brand will be the 24’s - Both are now Graeme MacDonald.

Do you know how many wineries Graeme is head winemaker at?

MacDonald, 001 Vintners, Blankiet, etc?

[Zachary_Mancini]

I agree 100%. Cost is the biggest issue which is why i dont buy anymore.

[Tom_R_W]

@MartinSF

As for Realm and the former 9 Suns property, I have to say that Houyi and other wines from the site have always felt a bit anonymous. Fine, but not great. In the context of Pritchard hill, and even Realm’s whole portfolio, it feels like it is missing a depth of character.

I’ve searched out Pritchard Hill wines for years so was all over wines from Houyi (Bevan, 9 Suns) and stopped buying for reasons you mentioned. With my eyes closed I could never tell they were from Pritchard Hill and they just lacked that something compelling to make me keep shelling out $150+ for them.
Hopefully Realm can tease something more out of the site.

[Andrew_Van_Raalte]

Posted before, but why no love for Melanson Vineyard?

[D_Mowe]

@Daniel_Walsh

Do you know how many wineries Graeme is head winemaker at?

MacDonald, 001 Vintners, Blankiet, etc?

MacDonald, Blankiet, 001, Palisades Canyon (a new project), Brand Napa Valley, Gandona.

[Glen_Gold]

One of the best auction purchases of my life was a case of 2009 Melanson Matthew’s Block for $25 a bottle.

[Albert_H]

Wow, had no idea about Brand and Gandona

[Roy_Piper]

For me, the “king” of Pritchard Hill is actually the “queen” of the hill, Helen Turley. There had been wines off the hill for decades, but what she did with Bryant and Colgin in the 1992-1997 time frame was literally to make PH the Rodeo Drive of Napa. She made the hill and her effects are still felt all this time later.