March 31, 2024 - 2 hour slo-ox. Blackberry, leather, well integrated tannins; silky texture.
January 27, 2024 - A very good wine that is drinking at its peak. Even with the age on it a decant was needed.i get a mix of tertiary and dark fruits while drinking this wine, I suspect the red fruits have faded due to time but it’s still very enjoyable. What surprised me though was the still present tannins and while the finish is not short it’s not as long as some Abreu bottles I’ve had particularly the Thor. Really good bottle all the same, but if I owned more, I would drink them soon.
October 1, 2023 - My top wine for my birthday celebration weekend.
Decanted for 2 hours as recommended by several CTs. The body is medium plus to full body, dark notes and fair complexity. Finish in the short side. It’s my first time drinking the Madrona version so I have no way of comparing it, maybe this bottle was not well stored since I bought it at WineBid…
In any case this is the least exiting Abreu wine I have ever had, just decent and considering the price tag a total failure.
We had it with Australian Wagyu Filet Mignon medium rare. The fat helped it a bit but never god better despite leaving a glass for 2 hours later…
July 26, 2023 - Open that bottle - Joe chooses 2008 Abreu Madrona (Jason's house): Decanted 2 hours. Tomato, smoked meat, blackberry, balsamic, slight alcohol that I think blew off, at least mostly. Leather, spice, somewhat liqueured aka cassis. This continued to integrated with time and I probably should have decanted 3 hours. For the first 45 minutes in glass, the wine was just over my level of acceptability for "bigness" but it either calmed down or I got used to it. Ideally you would open this in 5+ years. But if you want to drink one now, 3 hour decant should get you there.
July 26, 2023 - Two hour decant. Very deep dark magenta color (little sign of age). Black cherry cobbler, baker’s chocolate, and balsamic dressing. Smooth, dry palate, with wonderful, tongue coating acidity. Firm, full tannins on the long finish.
I suspect this is drinking at its peak and has likely been peaking for five years already. A wine drinking buddy (Joe) of I’d Rather Be Drinking Wine was kind enough to open this at a great dinner party. The theme of the party was “You’re going to open THAT bottle?”.
July 26, 2023 - Open THAT Bottle! (Jason's House): Decanted for 2 hours before consumption. This is an awesome wine! Some at the table thought it was too young, and should have been aged a few more years or decanted longer. I thought this was firing on all cylinders! Nose was incredible, filled with purple flowers, fresh baked blackberry pie, some spice and hints of anise. Palate was also divine, with blackberry pie, some Christmas spice, with notes of tobacco, earth, chocolate, some tar, and well integrated sweet toasted oak. This wine was leaning on the hedonistic fruit side of the spectrum, but was still showing tertiary character. A balance I really like where you get lots of fruit, but tertiary goodness also, and not just hints of it. Solid 96, maybe even slightly higher....what a wonderful wine. Enjoy now or in the next few years if you like a balance of fruit and tertiary flavors, wait longer (or decant much longer) if you prefer wines that lean on the tertiary side of the spectrum. Either way, it is very enjoyable, and will remain so for quite a few more years, IMO!
January 14, 2023 - Dark fruit smell, currant/jelly on tongue, hint of spice, well-rounded tannins
December 25, 2022 - Dark and textured with gobs of rich, ripe fruit that somehow don't come across as sweet or stepped on. Textured. Very good.
December 20, 2022 - Spectacular Abreu! Wonderful long finish. Took about 2 hours to open but it was just romantic, velvety, rounded layers of black and blue fruit. Some dust and cedar hints. Massive impressive wine
September 3, 2022 - Drank from a magnum at a dinner celebration for my 92 year old father. I was concerned the wine might be young so I email the Brad Grimes for recommendation.
Did not decant until we were ready to eat. Had the som decant to remove from sediment, then started to enjoy - per Brad's recommendation. The wine was fabulous and blossomed with aromas and flavor as we enjoyed the dinner. Great full mouth feel yet not weighted or heavy. Tannis were fine and polished and the finish was lengthy. One of the best wines I have enjoyed! A beautiful wine!