BRYTER Estates

Soooo, the first time we came in, about 2 years ago, the tasting room welcomed us with open arms! The owners, Bryan and Terin were AWESOME! They had recently opened the tasting room and were SO WELCOMING. They let our men (who were drinking beers) come right in and drink along with us, and the girls had a blast! (3 of us) we left LOVING the wines, experience and the owners in general. All three of us left wanting to sign up to be members at the winery. I think we left with two bottles of wine and only paying for those (tastings complimentary)
Flash forward 2 years.
Me and two girlfriends stumble into the tasting room in Sonoma. Greeted with…
Nothing… Me and my sister n law agree to buy two bottles for a couple of tastings (since the tastings are SO EXPENSIVE) the wine educator basically goes «okay» … Then nothing… Poured us the cheapest wine on the menu (was NOT part of the tasting menu) … I’ve been wine tasting a lot… and this was the smallest pour I’ve ever seen…(side note; the people next to us had very very large glasses of «pours» must have been triple our pours!). Also? When the chick poured our wines, We got NONE, like NO, education on our wines being poured — ZERO!!!
Then we decided to only get one tasting (our reason so expensive and terrible service) we didn’t wanna spend 60 bucks on 3 TINY glasses (tiny) when we told the person servicing us, she was very very un-​inviting. Almost rude. We payed 30 $ and left. And to be honest (very honest honest here) we completley threw that money down the drain.
Dear owners Bryan and Terin,
I am upset, dissatisfied and annoyed with the service provided on 6÷10÷2016 at about 5pm. The female working is not something I would align with the service I was first introduced with. I strongly suggest you re-​evaluate the people you hire in you’re tasting room employees. I can honestly say I would never spend any money here ever again.

What an unexpected treasure.
We visited Sonoma to do a wine club pick-​up at another winery and upon arrival found that they were unable to open on time that day. No worries, we wandered around the square a bit and decided to do a tasting at another location. As we walked by, we noticed that most of the wine tasting salons do not open until 11:00. We were about to leave the area and head out to Buena Vista when out of nowhere Max asked if we could wait for 5 – 10 minutes, if so, he would open early. We did, and he did, and wow what a great decision.
Each and every wine was wonderful and Max truly enjoys sharing his love for wines at a level that matches each person’s knowledge level.
We will return and will gladly recommend this wonderful spot to all our wine drinking friends.

Nothing wrong with it, but when I visited with my sister (who lives in France) we were not impressed. Not bad, but certainly not great for the tasting price of $ 30 or $ 35. The wines here range from $ 30-​$ 120. Our server rotely explained how the wines were made (think the economics teacher in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and she was nice enough, but the experience was overpriced. We won’t be back.

My girlfriend and I were enjoying a lazy day in Sonoma and we stumbled onto the greatest little tasting bar in the world. You can’t have a more informed and passionate staff than Bryant has (Max). We enjoyed a flight of all their wines and everything was incredible.
Bryan was generous enough to share his considerable knowledge about growing and harvesting his grapes. His enthusiasm is absolutely infectious.
Bryan is half of a husband and wife team that absolutely makes some incredible small batch wines.
Stop by, drink some wines and join the club. You won’t be sorry!!!
Pure awesomeness.

This place charged $ 30 to taste four wines. For that price, one might expect a decent sized pour. One would be wrong. This place is a ripoff when it comes to tasting.

Accidentally stumbled upon Bryter when trying to find a tasting room open past 5 pm. Jerry welcomed us and our pup in. He was extremely friendly and informative!
The tasting room itself is small, but did not feel crowded. The wines were great, along with the service. Though we were initially shocked by the price of one tasting, $ 30, in the end we felt it was well worth it. We purchased two bottles and one tasting fee was waived.
We would definitely return. Hopefully soon!

Bryter was one of those happy accidents. Strolling through the square on New Years afternoon we found that most businesses were closed. The weather was extremely chilly and through simple wandering we found Bryter — and it was open!
My first thought was: Warmth! Then: Wine!
Without any prior Unilocal research we went in and were immediately greeted and shown to a table. From there, we were introduced to the wines, the background of the winery, etc.
We started with the Jubilee Rose of Pinot Noir ($ 32) which was perfection! I’m not a big Rose drinker. Crisp and dry; this rose was light on the tongue but bolder in flavor than other Rose’s. Definitely try this if you prefer red wine.
Next up was the Lux Chardonnay ($ 50). With notes of vanilla, honey, and light oak this chardonnay was really fantastic.
The third tasting was «Tre Sette» Pinot Noir ($ 68). I’ll always be a fan of Pinot’s. They pair well with anything or nothing at all. This wine is definitely one worthy of purchasing. Tre Sette refers to the type of vine clone they used (777 in Italian). Stems and fruit went in to making this wine. Something a little different from other Pinot’s. The wine itself is beautifully developed and smooth on the palette.
Fourth — «Fortunata» Red Blend ($ 70). Fortunata refers to a Lucky Woman in Italian. Deep, dark, fruit forward flavor with a bite of cocoa and lingering vanilla. This is one for the cellar and would age wonderfully.
Lastly — we sampled «Inspired» Cabernet Sauvignon ($ 100). This one was still a bit young on the palette, but still very drinkable. It will be quite pleasant once aged. Earthy & fruit — it’s what a Cab should be.
We all left with a few bottles on tow. Happy to have found warmth and wine. Bryter is a lovely example of a friendly boutique winery that loves what they do and appreciates every customer. This is definitely a winery to keep on your radar for your future Sonoma visits.

I love when tasting rooms are friendly, knowledgeable, and educational without being pretentious. That’s what you will find at Bryter in downtown Sonoma.
I love the story of the husband and wife team making wine and succeeding in a super competitive industry. Our favorite is their Cabernet which is big and bold but still subtle enough to drink on its own.
We always make a stop at Bryter when we visit Sonoma and you should too!

While wondering around town in Sonoma, my husband and I came across this quaint little shopping plaza. At first glance, it’s off the beaten path with a bunch of little tasting rooms, but no one is really in there. Then we came across Bryter Estates’s tasting room and the sign outside proclaims their Cab 98pts. We are generally skeptics when it comes to «self proclaimers», but my husband did a quick search cellar tracker and was pleasantly surprised. We were greeted by Pam and she is the Mother of one of the owner. The tasting room is really pleasant with bar height tables and chairs. For $ 25, we decided to go with the premium flight and tasted Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rose Pinot, Pinot, Red blend, and «Inspire» Cab. My husband and I shared a taste and they were fine with that.
The Sauvignon Blanc is crispy and dry very refreshing. I didn’t care for the Char or the Pinot Rose. The Pinot was good, but the Inspire Cab is what got me for sure. I like that that it is a balanced; good on the nose and long finish, but not a taste bud killer; it’s a good pairing cab. They were not kidding about their Cab. When our friends joined us, they didn’t mind that we asked for a splash of the Sauvignon Blanc and the Cab for them. Well… we walked away with 2 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc and Cab. Our friends also walked away with 3 Cabs. Great tasting wines and great service will always bring great results.

wonderful wines, just wonderful. Make sure you taste at least one bottle of Bryter in your life! Unfortunately the Sangiovese is sold out — it was fantastic — hope there is more coming. My favorite Bryter at this point is the Fortunata!

Bryter Estates Winery is run by a couple — Terin and Bryan. She’s from a suburb of Chicago and he is from Pennsylvania. They both had a passion for wine making and moved west to fulfill their dream.
When my wife and I stopped into their tasting shop, only Bryan was on-​site. He was extremely personable and told us about the origin of their winery.
At 6:00 p.m. Bryan closed the shop but at his invitation we remained whereupon he joined us for drinks. He included a couple of extra tastings and wound up charging us for one person.
All of the wine wines were very good, and Bryan’s gracious hospitality was exceptional!

We came here for my husband’s birthday. We had some wine tasting right next door first and than we came here. We loved this little spot and their wine selections. We didn’t buy any bottles of wine in last two tasting room near here. But we ended up buy some bottles of wine for our anniversary. It’s so nice to stay there and chat with the Super Friendly lady Nancy who really gave us some good advice to choose the wine. We will come back for sure and thank you Nancy! We had a good time!

Cute tasting room located on the square in an area locals call the ‘tasting alley’. Owned by a local husband and wife, they make a variety of wines. Most notable is the Gaps Crown Chardonay and Pinot Nior. Mid level price points. Tastings are available and can be shared for a fee nominal fee.

Wow! Words can not describe just how much I feel in love with Bryter Estates. Hands down my Favorite place in Sonoma! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with a warm, friendly smile from Genevieve. She is truly a doll and a complete pleasure to be around. The owners, Bryan and Terin (get it, Bry-​Ter) were also there and popped over to introduce themselves and be sure we were enjoying ourselves. I loved the passion that Terin, Bryan and Genevieve displayed. You can truly tell just how much they love and take pride in this wonderful place! Yummy snacks were provided while enjoying our tasting (who doesn’t love some fantastic cheese and prosciutto with their wine). Each and every type of wine we tried was absolutely out of this world. there is no way that we could pick a favorite. And no need to. We joined their fab Wine Club! Can’t wait to get my first shipment and I can be transported back to Sonoma! A must visit while you are in town!

This place was a blast, the person working the tasting room was really friendly and attentive. The tasting room itself was great, very pretty, lots to look at.
The wine was fantastic, the girl doing our tasting was incredibly attentive and friendly she gave us a lot of information about the wine maker which we loved.
The red wines are fantastic here, I would highly recommend stopping by for a tasting and chatting with the folks in the tasting room. Very nice atmosphere to hang out and enjoy quality wines.

Hidden along a long narrow corridor in the Sonoma Square rests a little boutique family run wine store called BRYTER.
This winery specializes in small-​lot, hand crafted wines and the love and care placed into what they do is felt with every sip.
Genevieve, the attendant at the store, was extremely friendly and took my girlfriend and me by the hand, bottle by bottle, and kept our attention for over an hour.
Quite a feat considering my ADD.
Again we really gravitated towards the white wines, specifically their variety of Chardonnays. (We bought the 2012 «Affine» and 2012 «Lux»)
Their taste is light, the flavors supple yet sensitive.
The power of this wine’s flavor is not in its strength but in its sensuality. The experience is more of a slow, loving dance to Sam Cooke than a twerk to Lil’ Jon.
Sometimes you just gotta make love, you know.

When you come from Europe, you expect a price of max 12 dollars for a bottle, especially for the rosé. So when you pay 3 time this price, the quality has to be exceptional. I have tasted some Provence Rosé very highly priced that were worthing it, so I had expectations. The good thing is that their rosé IS good. Even of the lady in the shop sold it to us as a light sunny wine, it is very strong, very fruity, with a nice length in mouth. Yet it doesn’t worth the 30+ dollars it is priced.
I haven’t done a lot of domain in Sonoma so I don’t have a clear idea of the pricing. If it is a regular price, then there’s a lot of room for imported wines. If not, this place is just too pricey, even of the quality is there.

Fun little wine tasting room right off of the main square in Sonoma. We ended up here after searching Unilocal for wineries open now and managed to get in just in time. The host there was so sweet and very informative. We enjoyed tasting several of their wines and spending time in the gorgeous little room. They have a mock fireplace, a window seat, and table for groups in addition to the tasting bar. There is a lot of really neat local artwork on the walls and a bookshelf of fun wine knick knacks to look through. I fell in love with a frog wine pourer and we just couldn’t leave without a bottle of their delicious sparkling wine!

Out in the valley, people are driving from place to place and feel the need to maintain some modicum of sobriety. Not so in town, around the square. This *must* have something to do with the overwhelming representation of 4 – 5 star rated places around the square. People are basically bar crawling, which leads to high reviews. My two cents…
Now: Bryter.
Positives first. Service was friendly and informative. Cosy space, not too loud or busy. Two stars for that.
Wines for the most part were single-​note. Not a place aiming for (or perhaps just achieving) complexity. The best was the Cabernet (grown in Napa), which would have been attractive around here for $ 25. Price: $ 95.
Also be aware that tasting is $ 20 for four measured pours.

You never know where and when you’re going to run across an exceptional winery, but if you keep your ears open when chatting with people in the industry, it’ll happen sooner rather than later.
Passing briefly through Sonoma after a whitewater rafting trip last summer, I decided to revisit Westwood Winery,
the place which so delightfully surprised me on my first wine tasting trip of 2013, to check-​out their new Pinot Noir release. I got a recommendation from Westwood’s charming Sommelier (Tiffany) to visit Kamen Wines, and from THERE I was referred to Bryter Estates!
I walked in the door, and met Terin Ignozzi, Winemaker and Proprietor. She’s personable, friendly, knowledgeable, charming, and obviously quite passionate about her wines. Bryter (pronounced «Brighter») is a small production family winery that produces hand-​crafted, award winning wines which are sold exclusively through their tasting salon and wine club. There’s a $ 20 fee for tasting; a purchase of $ 50 or more will waive the fee.
At least 4 pours are included with a tasting; I had 7 or 8 that afternoon, and everything was exceptional! 2 of the wines really struck a cord with me:
— 2010 «Inspired» Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Single Vineyard
This wine was voted Best of California at the 2012 CA State Fair, and I can see why! Some Cabs are harsh, but this one is silky and elegant. Beautifully balanced, with distinctive fruit that’s not too bold and velvety, rich tannins. Surprising approachable for such a young Cab, it will doubtless improve dramatically with a few years of cellaring.
— 2011 «Cadeau» Pinot Noir, Carneros
Even though I’m much more partial to Cabernets, this complex, delightful, and deliciously feminine wine intrigued me immediately. It’s smooth, elegant, and light with a subtlety fruity nose and flavors of minerals, cherries, raspberries, spice, and smoky oak. A scrumptious wine that’s completely ready to drink now.
I will definitely return to Bryter Estates on my next trip through Sonoma; even at $ 95 a bottle, the «Inspired» Cab is so good I can’t imagine that a few bottles of it won’t end up in my cellar. For now, I bought a bottle of the «Cadeau» Pinot Noir; it’s $ 45 a bottle price is exceptional for a direct purchase in this neck of the woods — I’m already wishing I bought more…
I didn’t have time that day, but as soon as I read about and saw a picture of Bryter’s private tasting setup,
there was no question in my mind how I’ll be tasting there next trip :-)