The Blind Side - no, not football! (Chateau Simms): I am guessing the wine got at least 1-2 hours of slo-O before tasting, but honestly not sure about the bottle treatment/preparation before the tasting, i.e., it could be more.
This was part of a blind tasting that included the following wines:
2010 Abreu Thorevilos - This wine was a slight disappointment given the pedigree. I expected much more. Don't get me wrong, the wine was very good, showing lots of dark fruit, and some tertiary flavors (earth, tobacco, graphite and new leather) but it lacked that "wow" factor I expect from Abreu. This also may have suffered slightly from the two wines that immediately followed (which I liked better. i.e., Scarecrow and Colgin). A solid 95, which is a great score, but I always expect Abreu to be closer to perfection....yeah, I know, it's a high bar!
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Near perfect. For a 14 year old wine and would not have pegged it as an Abreu during the reveal. I went back and forth between this and the Colgin for best wine of the flight. Super balanced. Much different than the 2010 Madrona that I have had a few times.
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Eyes Wide Shut - Day 1 (A quiet place): Nose: Dark and intense red fruits, deep earth, and with a bit of dark minerals. While the nose gives a lot, it's never overbearing.
Palate: Similar on the palate from what you get on the nose. Rich with fruits and great intensity. This is dark red and almost black in fruits, brooding while keeping a cool attitude. The integration here is what makes the flavor profile work well. There was a bit of heat early on, but thankfully it blows off with some air.
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Good, but not great? The scores here appear high for me (and my palette). Although the fruit flavors (blackberry and some cassis come through, they were lighter than I expected. The tannins and acidity are balanced to provide a smooth full (not bold) body, but the finish came up short for a high score. Would I buy another bottle, probably not at David's (Abreu) prices, but place this wine in a generally drinkable category which for me is a price point of $100 - $200 (think Harlan - is worth the money).
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Careful planning and consideration went into which bottles to pull for our first trip to the “farm”.
I landed in Thorevilos with consideration to all the recent changes to what is now called Ecotone Vineyard. Brilliance in the bottle under the guidance of David Abreu and winemaker Brad Grimes. Thorevilos is a unmistakable name and so is the wine.
2010 Thorevilos is true to vintage and terroir. The structure of the cooler vintage with the energy and ripeness of a warm vintage. Decanted one hour in advance of our main course at the Dogwood, this wine continued to develop in the glass down to the last drop. This complex wine has a lot going on in all the right ways. Dark fruits on the savory side of spectrum, Thor is the Yin to Madrona’s Yang.
On the early side of this wines drinking window.
98+. Approach with a proper decant. Drink over a long siting with the best of friends.
Closerie Les Beguines Chateau Simon Blanc 2012 Abreu Thorevilos 2010 JL Chave Hermitage 2019
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4/13/2024 - MN Wine Junkie Likes this wine: 95 Points
The Blind Side - no, not football! (Chateau Simms): I am guessing the wine got at least 1-2 hours of slo-O before tasting, but honestly not sure about the bottle treatment/preparation before the tasting, i.e., it could be more.
This was part of a blind tasting that included the following wines:
1. 2010 Abreu Thorevilos
2. 2021 Scarecrow
3. 2015 Colgin Tychson Hill
4. 2019 Sassicaia
5. 2019 Domaine Trapet Chapelle-Chambertin
6. 2021 Bella Oaks La Genie
7. 2014 Caymus Special Selection
8. 2014 Vice Versa Magnificent 7
2010 Abreu Thorevilos - This wine was a slight disappointment given the pedigree. I expected much more. Don't get me wrong, the wine was very good, showing lots of dark fruit, and some tertiary flavors (earth, tobacco, graphite and new leather) but it lacked that "wow" factor I expect from Abreu. This also may have suffered slightly from the two wines that immediately followed (which I liked better. i.e., Scarecrow and Colgin). A solid 95, which is a great score, but I always expect Abreu to be closer to perfection....yeah, I know, it's a high bar!
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4/13/2024 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 99 Points
Near perfect. For a 14 year old wine and would not have pegged it as an Abreu during the reveal. I went back and forth between this and the Colgin for best wine of the flight. Super balanced. Much different than the 2010 Madrona that I have had a few times.
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4/13/2024 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 97 Points
Eyes Wide Shut - Day 1 (A quiet place): Nose: Dark and intense red fruits, deep earth, and with a bit of dark minerals. While the nose gives a lot, it's never overbearing.
Palate: Similar on the palate from what you get on the nose. Rich with fruits and great intensity. This is dark red and almost black in fruits, brooding while keeping a cool attitude. The integration here is what makes the flavor profile work well. There was a bit of heat early on, but thankfully it blows off with some air.
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4/7/2024 - Mortgage92 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good, but not great? The scores here appear high for me (and my palette). Although the fruit flavors (blackberry and some cassis come through, they were lighter than I expected. The tannins and acidity are balanced to provide a smooth full (not bold) body, but the finish came up short for a high score. Would I buy another bottle, probably not at David's (Abreu) prices, but place this wine in a generally drinkable category which for me is a price point of $100 - $200 (think Harlan - is worth the money).
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11/3/2023 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 98 Points
Careful planning and consideration went into which bottles to pull for our first trip to the “farm”.
I landed in Thorevilos with consideration to all the recent changes to what is now called Ecotone Vineyard. Brilliance in the bottle under the guidance of David Abreu and winemaker Brad Grimes. Thorevilos is a unmistakable name and so is the wine.
2010 Thorevilos is true to vintage and terroir. The structure of the cooler vintage with the energy and ripeness of a warm vintage. Decanted one hour in advance of our main course at the Dogwood, this wine continued to develop in the glass down to the last drop. This complex wine has a lot going on in all the right ways. Dark fruits on the savory side of spectrum, Thor is the Yin to Madrona’s Yang.
On the early side of this wines drinking window.
98+. Approach with a proper decant. Drink over a long siting with the best of friends.
Closerie Les Beguines
Chateau Simon Blanc 2012
Abreu Thorevilos 2010
JL Chave Hermitage 2019
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