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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 96.6 pts. and median of 97 pts. in 52 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Highlander on 11/21/2023: Wow....deep licorice flavors along with very dark cherry flavours mixed with tobacco. This was so good that next time, no dinner. maybe just some Jambon Iberico, (736 views) | | | Tasted by MariusA on 11/4/2023 & rated 94 points: Agree with all the other notes that highlight the youthfulness of this wine. It's dark, concentrated, and almost syrupy. However, what I really miss in this bottle is the acidity and structure to go with it. When I first had this wine four years ago, it was all there and it was a 100-point wine for me. I've since had three other bottles of the '02 trying to chase the first experience but it just hasn't been the same. It could be bottle variation but it could also suggest that it's hit its peak. I have seven bottles left in the cellar and will keep you updated if anything changes. (730 views) | | | Tasted by John III on 1/14/2023 & rated 97 points: Jan 2023: Decanted 1.5 hours. First sip without food lay heavily on the palate with a long, long finish. At least 60 seconds. Tastes of dark chocolate, sweet cherries, soy sauce, and some brighter red fruit recalling the 1997 we had some years ago that seemed to hold a brand new life inside of it, not something that has been aging over two decades. We started the meal with a Thai-inspired coconut soup, and followed that with a rack of lamb, roasted chestnuts, and asparagus in a lemony sauce. This wine's aroma was reminiscent of the $50-80 cabernet I've been finding, only this was then better. A bit more yeast in the aroma, and a much longer lasting finish. The aroma haunting the glass, even an empty one, was as remarkable as the flavor. Dark chocolate, summer bing cherries so sweet it reminds you nature's sugar is the best sugar. Abreu is a rare experience, and the ones I get online I can never tell if they'll be good. Why would someone sell such a wine once they had it and knew what it was? (1648 views) | | | Tasted by warrenpeace on 7/4/2022 & rated 98 points: Just superb and plenty of life left, at least 10 years. A strong core of fruit enveloped by silky tannins. Everything you would want in a Cali Cab. (1917 views) | | | Tasted by shaferguy91 on 11/16/2021 & rated 97 points: Best Cab in a long time. No sign of decline. (3149 views) | | | Tasted by sdr on 10/9/2021 & rated 91 points: Arguably a bit more complex than most of the other California Cabernets on the table, including ‘05 Pahlmeyer, ‘12 Blankiet, ‘13 Lewis , this Abreu has some nice notes of bitter chocolate and cassis. It’s at peak and lively. For me, second on the night after the ‘02 Paul Hobbs yet far from compelling. (2561 views) | | | Tasted by brettay on 1/21/2021 & rated 98 points: Still incredibly youthful but so complex and layered. Dark black currant, black cherry, soy sauce, rich earth, iron, liquid stones, tobacco leaf, fresh herbs, and cocoa powder. The endless complexity reveals something new each time it is experienced. As is typical of Abreu wines, the richness is so beautifully complemented by the aromatic lift and, in this particular wine, the prominent mineral influence, which I have not found in most Abreu wines. This is sublime stuff:rich and fresh with endless complexity. New world Cabernet doesn’t get any better than this. (2796 views) | | | Tasted by mediamogul on 8/2/2020 & rated 95 points: Decanted 1 Hour, drank over the next 90 minutes. Very jammy, powerful, monolithic and young. Would wait 5 years before opening another bottle. Fans of Big California wines may love this now. Those who prefer more balance and elegance would be advised to wait. (2749 views) | | | Tasted by joshabramson on 5/11/2020 & rated 97 points: Still quite youthful out of the bottle, but opened up nicely after 30 minutes in the glass. This is great juice, in a really nice place right now... plenty of structure and the fruit is still very vibrant with nice acidity. No rush to drink up, this has many years left. (2747 views) | | | Tasted by Elkcims on 12/27/2019 & rated 96 points: Slow ox for 2 hours, enjoyed over 3 hours. Luscious soft mouth coating fruit, full bodied, monolithic, not much mineral or terroir, old wood, earth, medium tannin; 20 second finish. Not the multi-layered "wow" wine anticipated, yet delicious. 96+ I would not suggest waiting a few years to enjoy another. (2694 views) | | | Tasted by Lateva on 8/13/2019 & rated 96 points: Pop and pour. Took 30 min of air to come around.
Showing very well. More on the extracted spectrum with hints of plum/prune, but really nicely balance palate. Tasted next to the 07 Thor, which showed better, into. (3171 views) | | | Tasted by jsmorris707 on 1/13/2019 & rated 95 points: Graciously brought by old Lew last night to our post BB dinner at Fabio's. Deep ruby, dark fruit, med. tannins, long finish; delicious, but out shone by the 05 Spottswoode, possibly related to a longer decant. I suspect this wine is still evolving & it needs more time or a longer decant; delicious! (4120 views) | | | Tasted by sdr on 12/17/2018 & rated 93 points: Seemingly dull and monolithic when first opened, it blossomed beautifully in the Zalto Universal. Splendid sweet fragrance, juicy, disarmingly seductive. At peak. But of the 11 of us, I was the most enthusiastic and there was still some left in the bottle at the end of the night. (2962 views) | | | Tasted by bingram on 6/22/2018 & rated 100 points: Right off the chart! Perfect from the first taste to the last. Lucky to have 2 left as there is no hurry to drink them. (4290 views) | | | Tasted by Lateva on 5/5/2018 & rated 98 points: Fortunate to have this bottle twice in the last week. Both performed extremely well. One had a tiny bit of prune on the nose, which I always dislike, but it didn’t seem to bother the others tasting it with me.
Truly amazing wine. Great mix of red and black fruits, cedar, and leather. Incredible tannin and acidity that just holds the tongue so well as it goes across your palate, even at age 16. Really nothing out of place. (3206 views) | | | Tasted by sdr on 1/13/2018 & rated 91 points: It seems mature to me, although still linear in the California Cult style. Excellent fruit, bold, somewhat oaky, tart. Very good with the strong flavored food at 3030 Ocean. Excellent to be sure, but not exciting. (3216 views) | | | Tasted by thepeng1 on 2/1/2017 & rated 98 points: Beautiful with the tiniest hint of brett. Just enough to add to the interest. (4995 views) | | | Tasted by garambler on 5/14/2016 & rated 97 points: I shared this with friends on 5/14/16. It had a fabulous, rich, expressive bouquet of cassis, blackberry, blueberry, charcoal, graphite and spice aromas. The palate was massive, powerful and absolutely delicious with flavors of cassis, blackberry, blueberry, mocha, cocoa, minerals and spice. This is an amazing wine that every cabernet lover should try. (5029 views) | | | Tasted by Max Stryker on 4/24/2016 & rated 99 points: Velvet in a glass. (4286 views) | | | Tasted by KenK on 11/19/2015 & rated 97 points: A magical wine that is showing almost everything you could want and maybe a bit more with a long life ahead. Dark dense blackberry and black cherry aromas feature prominently. In the mouth, it is full and concentrated with sweet ripe plum fruits laced with wonderful inner mouth energy. A seamless wine with a long finish and nice spice. Some good chewy on the end adds intrigue and points to a bright future. This is the type of wine that defines Cali Cults. (5331 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 11/19/2015: California Cult Cabernet dinner (Oak Mill Cafe - Chicago IL): Powerful black fruit that also manages to show restraint. Very good balance, length and textures. I enjoyed this a lot and thik it has upside potential from here. (5487 views) | | | Tasted by shaferguy91 on 12/27/2014 & rated 97 points: Terrific. Maybe my wine of the year. (5843 views) | | | Tasted by canan on 11/28/2014 & rated 96 points: BYO - US wines (NO.2): Quite sweet and concentrated fruit flavor. Definitely more fruit-forward than the 2001 but still a wonderful wine that impresses.
It does lack just a little bit in the aftertaste to get me over the top but I really loved the compactness of the flavors. (3435 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 11/24/2014 & rated 100 points: If Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is your thing, this wine belongs on your bucket list. This is so rich, the fruit coats your mouth and palate and stains your teeth, in all the best ways. Luscious, intense, yet perfectly balanced, the sweet, ripe, opulent fruit remains on your palate for more than 60 seconds! (6186 views) | | | Tasted by Purple Tooth on 11/17/2014 & rated 99 points: Super clean and very racy, this seamless wine holds humongous power and focus. The finish is a full length marathon and admirably, super duper bright and shining with sweetly balanced acidity. All this after 12 years and no sign of letting the throttle go anytime soon... (3783 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Abreu Producer website
Abreu Vineyards is of famed vineyard manager David Abreu. Mr. Abreu’s farming skills are in extremely high demand, and he oversees many of the Napa Valley’s most prestigious vineyard properties.
Region: Napa Valley
Sub Region: St Helena
David Abreu and his winemaker, Brad Grimes produce four single vineyard red wines under Abreu Vineyards company. The labels are; Madrona Ranch, Cappella, Thorevilos, and Las Posadas. There is a fifth wine which is a blend of all four properties called, Rothwell Hyde. Wines are available for purchase though their direct mailing list only.
This is a highly sought after label that is owned by vineyard manager-extraordinaire David Abreu, also known as, “the grower to the stars.” He has farmed for many illustrious estates including current and past clients such as; Colgin, Staglin, Bryant, Kenzo, Sloan, Marciano, Harlan Estate, and Screaming Eagle.
David Abreu, a third-generation rancher from St. Helena, founded Abreu Vineyards in 1980 after working briefly at Caymus Vineyards. That year he formed David Abreu Vineyard Management, working with pioneering winemaker Richard Forman to manage ranching operations at Inglenook Winery.
Abreu and Forman became friends and traveled frequently to Bordeaux, where they observed French winemaking operations. They brought back French rootstock, trellis designs, and Bordelais planting and farming techniques.[1]
Abreu's fame spread as more wineries hired David Abreu Vineyard Management company to plant and manage ranching operations. By 1999 he was considered the premier viticulturist for premium grapes in Napa Valley.[2] Abreu's company has raised grapes for some of the most respected wineries in Napa and Sonoma Valleys including Blankiet Estate, Acacia Vineyard, Staglin Family Vineyards, Jones Family Vineyards, Bressler Vineyards, Colgin Cellars, Pahlmeyer Vineyard, Sloan Estate, Bryant Family Vineyard, Fisher Vineyards, Oakford Vineyards, Araujo Estate Wines, Grace Family Vineyard, Viader Vineyards, and Harlan estate, among others.
In 1998 eminent wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. included Abreu in his list of the "most influential wine personalities of the last 20 years."[3] In 2006 Abreu was hired to replant the Screaming Eagle Winery vineyards.[4]
The wines
Abreu Vineyards concentrates exclusively on estate-grown cabernet sauvignon blends. Robert Parker gave the 1997 Madrona Ranch cabernet perfect 100-point score, one of only 140 wines in the world to receive the honor.[5] In the "Judgment of Sauternes," in October, 2006 the 1997 cabernet was judged the #1 wine in the world by the Grand Jury Européen.[6]
In the late 1990s Abreu and Forman jointly purchased and planted the 20-acre Thorevilos Vineyard. They released Abreu's first cabernet from that vineyard in 2000.[7]
Distribution is extremely limited, although a number of online wine sellers do advertise Abreu wines at $100 to $600 or more per bottle. Production was 500 cases in 1999.
References
^ Forman (2000). Launching Bordeaux-Style Wines in the Napa Valley:. University of California, Berkeley, Regional Oral History Office, pp.106-109.
^ Forman, 2000, p. 37
^ Parker, Robert. "The most influential wine personalities of the last 20 years", The Wine Advocate, December 23, 1998.
^ Murphy, Linda. "Worth its weight in gold? Why some people happily pay $500 for a bottle of wine", San Francisco Chronicle, August 3, 2006.
^ Robert Parker's 100 Point Wines. Wine-Searcher (May, 2005). Retrieved on January 27, 2007.
^ Anson, Jane. "California in pole position yet again", Decanter.com, October 24, 2006. Retrieved on January 27, 2007.
^ Foreman, 2000, pp. 124-125
Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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