Bruce Prothro is living the American dream. A chemist by trade, Bruce and his wife, Ronda became interested in wine at the start of their relationship. Their first date was wine tasting in Napa and one year later they were married. In 1991, Bruce and Ronda began making their own wine by purchasing Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay grapes from a vineyard in the Russian River Valley that supplied grapes to DeLoach Winery. With no formal training, they borrowed and rented equipment to crush, ferment, and press almost two tons of grapes, yielding nearly 120 gallons of barrel-aged wine. Even though they made a few mistakes that first year, the wine was a hit among their friends and family and became a staple at their parties and get togethers.
Over the next seven years they made wine out of their garage. Along the way they had help from several heavyweight figures in California wine including Burt Williams at Williams Selyem, Dexter and Val Ahlgren at Ahlgren Vineyards, Ken Burnap at Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards, Kent Rosenbloom and Jeff Cohn at Rosenbloom Cellars, and the crew at David Bruce Winery.
Their dream has become a reality as their first wine, the 2014 Prothro Family Wines Cabernet Sauvignon was met with critical acclaim. I have tried these wines over several years and have been very impressed with what I have seen. Their new lineup is downright awesome. I loved the 2017 Prothro Family Wines ‘Stagecoach Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc (WWB, 92) which has delightful blue fruits and great aging potential. Even better is their 2016 Prothro Family Wines ‘Heritage Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 93) which is a deep and hedonistic wine that will cellar well for decades to come. Learn more about this great new Napa winery at https://prothrofamilywines.com/ Here are the beautiful new wines by Prothro Family Wines.
2017 Prothro Family Wines ‘Cuvee No. 3’ Red Wine- The 2017 ‘Cuvee No. 3’ is a blend of 94.5% Broken Rock Vineyard Merlot with 3% Broken Rock Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Cabernet Franc. This leads with nice herbal undertones on the nose with rich dark fruits and espresso bean aromatics that take shape in the glass. The palate shows good balance with a silky mouthfeel and forward kirsch, mocha and tar flavors that come together nicely. Downright awesome in its youth the 2017 Prothro ‘Cuvee No. 3’ will cellar well for a decade to come. Drink 2020-2030- 91
2017 Prothro ‘Stagecoach Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc-Sourced from this famed Napa Vineyard, the 20017 ‘Stagecoach Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc opens with black tea, exotic spice and rich dark fruit aromatics that meld in the glass. The palate is silky and round, with a lovely mouthfeel. Rich dark and blue fruits align with a soft and generous mouthfeel and light tannins that provide the backbone of this great new wine. Drink 2020-2032- 92
2017 Prothro ‘Signature Release’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Entirely sourced from the Broken Rock Vineyard, the wine is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Petit Verdot, 2.5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, and 0.5% Malbec. The whiff of Turkish coffee and creme de cassis provide immediate enjoyment, as damp earth and sweet tobacco leaf tones round out this expressive nose. The palate is soft, round and generous, delivering a good range of dark fruits, with chocolate covered espresso bean accents. Fantastic in its youth, the 2017 ‘Signature Release’ will cellar well for the next fifteen years. Drink 2020-2035- 92
2017 Prothro ‘Heritage Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2017 ‘Heritage Reserve’ by Prothro is a gorgeous new Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Sourced from the G3 vineyard in Rutherford, this takes on compelling aromatics of black currants and anise that meld with sagebrush, mocha and tar tones that all come together in the glass. Full-bodied, yet very elegant, the seamless quality alongside rich dark fruits, graphite and anise flavors throughout is quite magical. Downright awesome to consume in its full-throttle youth, the 2017 ‘Heritage Reserve’ by Prothro will cellar well for at least another fifteen years. Drink 2020-2038- 93