2006 Abreu Madrona Ranch

Community Tasting Notes (19) Avg Score: 95.5 points

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  3/28/2023 - popasq Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Decanted 4+ hours, was outstanding. May decant less next bottle.

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  11/26/2022 - duanerb wrote: 92 Points

  Wine is looking good. Decanted 1 hour and it opened up.
  
  Moderate evolution with dark ruby core to brick rim.
  
  Nose full of cinnamon and baking spices laced with plum and black berry/ porcini mushroom
  
  MB, MA, SMT, MA, matches on the palate with baking chocolate and vanilla.\
  
  Wine is showing very well, but the alcohol will not fade.
  
  Overall, really good mature CS! Enjoy.

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  10/27/2022 - csimm wrote: 96 Points

  A super solid showing here, with a beauty and sophistication that highlights why Abreu consistently belongs in the upper tier of Napa wines. I admittedly have been dismissive of this producer at times, despite the cult following and the fans who wouldn't hesitate to gut me in half dare I whisper a negative word about the iconic and mystifying Grimes-Abreu dream team. They certainly don't need my nonsense and drivel to reinforce what they already know about this lineage of wines. So, I'll stay in the green here and just say this was my wine of the night at the dinner table. It was undoubtedly an interesting contrast to the 2019 Myriad Elysian served beside it, highlighting stylistic poles in almost every way.
  
  As far as drinking window, I'd say this Abreu is in a perfect spot. Sure, it could age even longer, but the freshness meter is exactly where I think I'd want it in its current state. Red berries and plum dance perfectly with leather (not leather-y, mind you), cedar, and dust. There is a bit of a powdery coating on the tail that I thought added interest, but it might have also detracted from the overall flow of the finish. I didn't mind it at all, but it might be signaling its evolution into a more "aged" disposition in the coming years. In my world, this is a drink now wine. CT's drinking window of 2037 seems, well, overly optimistic.

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  10/26/2022 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Recent one off from large cellaring operation #3, brought to dinner at Mustard’s with A_M, csimm, cyclist and our spouses/partners. PnP. On the nose and palate, vibrant and crisp notes of mixed dark berry compote, cassis, dust, earthy minerality, herbality, leather, a red fruit note on the backend (the wise msu has identified as grilled rhubarb, but I might also nominate red currants), char and mocha. Deep, dark red purple, full bodied and thick legs. Medium+ tannins and acidity, both delightful and well-balanced with just a touch of non-integration giving the wine texture (thanks again, msu), not a trace of heat (so welcome after the ‘19 Saxum G2 and Myriad Frasier Crane). VG++ intensity and complexity with almost indescribable length. Well, this wasn’t supposed to be a PnP, but after a long, expansive, expensive tasting at Arrow & Branch then a surprise guest of a VV release party, we actually had to scramble for our reservation—I know, what a first world problem!—rather than getting there early and giving this time to breathe. I was pleasantly surprised how good to go it was off the pour (which supports cs’s point about drinking window); this smoothed and deepened a bit over the couple of hours we had it open and on night 2, but all of the elements held essentially steady and were of similar quality throughout. Although anything but a cocktail wine, this shone equally on its own on each night, but was stunning with a hanger steak at Mustard’s, though a bit less successful with a chicken, sausage, veggies and tomatoes dish over polenta on night 2. This is my second Abreu after a ‘10 Thor A_M oh so generously cracked for me prior to initial Santa Clara internment #1, and like that wine, this shares a unique, in my experience, massiveness and density, leavened wonderously by those red fruit notes piping up through the firmament, making the wine not only oh so long but almost kaleidoscopic. Alas, with just those 2 under my belt, although with a growing collection of back vintages in my cellar, I’m not quite sure I’m at the point of being a full-fledged Abreu-Grimes fanboy yet, but I’m sure getting there. At the risk of seeming ingracious, this was clearly my belle of the ball over the 24 hours of excellent wine drinking, followed, overall, by the Arrow & Branch SVD cabs (slight edge for me for the VHR, with the Doc Crane close behind; alas, too many wines and not enough time to write up my tasting experiences there and at Crocker & Starr), and at dinner, over the ‘12 Tynan St. Helena Reserve and the C&S Stone Place ‘07. I gently and respectfully quibble with cs on tasting window (although drinking like it’s already in early window without air, the elements remain powerfully intact and it held well, so, even if improvement is uncertain, another 10-15 years, at least for my palate, seems likely), and Abreu’s place in the Napa taxonomy. While the Myriad is, I agree, at the far edge of Napa CS modernity, I’d put this wine smack dab in the middle, with Stony Hill at the far Old World end (too dilute even for me), then Mayacamas, Cain, Montelena, Dunn, Forman, Ridge, Larkmead, Spottswoode, Favia, most of Chris Carpenter’s ouevre, then wines like this, Ovid, much of Melka, TRB, Bevan, Venge and Smith. (I’m very aware I’m not naming every winemaker or winery in Napa and encourage others to add their own!). Like so many things in this world, I find the middle, in no way mushy, to be my favorite place. 98++
  
  The other third rail for me is price. With *much* careful shopping, I’ve bought my Abreus, all in the past couple of years, most in the past few months, at about half of the winery’s current prices (no ‘11s, no RHs), which still puts them at the top, more or less, of my price pyramid. It’s hard not to ask myself if they’re really that much better than QC at half the price, Ovid at at about a third to 40% less, and as great as they are, I’m not sure that the answer is yes. But the first 2 have been so outstanding and enjoyable that they’re not clearly *not* worth the premium, and sharing them with my favorite wine people in the world was a stellar experience for me on this night.

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  11/5/2021 - msuwine wrote: 96 Points

  I know there is no formal hierarchy to California wine, and any attempt to pronounce one is both un-American and worthy of mockery (cough, Sea Smoke). Still, Abreu’s Madrona is at the top of the list for me, with an earthy and ripe profile that is enchanting. This isn’t the best vintage I've ever tasted (e.g., 2003, 2004, 2010), but the 2006 is still stellar - complex, deep, singular, and delicious.
  
  Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of boysenberry, peppercorn, trail dust, and grilled rhubarb. The flavors are at once raw and integrated, with notes of blackberry, mulberry, cedar, and, with a grainy and somewhat dry finish. Blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. 14.5% alcohol. Decant at least two hours, but probably wait another 2-3 years for it to hit its peak - it’s close, and it’s glorious. 96 at the moment.
  
  P.S. This edged out a 2006 Hundred Acre Deep Time tasted on the same night. The Hundred Acre had more polish and lift, while the Abreu had more texture and depth. Pick your (expensive) poison, as each wine was fantastic - but I’ll take earthy and unique all day long, even as it's in the process of slouching towards Bethlehem to be born (read: bring on the Abreu!).

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