August 4, 2023 - Another wine that absolutely shocked me with the youth. This was really almost too young to be drinking full stop. Again got better with time in the glass and maybe more than the other wines appreciated the different meats as a pairing. Very good as always but I think we need to wait on our other bottles
February 25, 2022 - Weekend at Bernie's; 2/25/2022-2/27/2022 (Vero Beach): Like it's brother the '93 this wine was just in an excellent spot. I wish we'd opened them maybe a bit earlier so they had some time to breath but they did so in the glass and I found myself going back for extra pours. Both wines have that nice subtlety that you find in old world and yet still a good fruit and style to them. Really enjoyed.
February 18, 2022 - Anticipation for night of Madrona started back in July of 2021 when I went in on these bottles with JonathanJ & Deandrew8649. Sourced through Benchmark Wine Group in what turned out to be perfect condition. After a few months of trying to schedule we landed on a date Feb 18th (little did we know it was national drink wine day). The venue of Bludorn was kind enough host and we were all set for what turned out to be an amazing experience.
94 & 95 double decanted back into bottle.
03 & 04 splash decanted and sediment filtered (lots of sediment in the 04)
Madrona is a special site and these wines showed terroir and vintage wonderfully. Spanning 28 years and two different winemakers (Rick Forman/Brad Grimes) this was an experience in which I will never forget.Night of Madrona at Bludorn Houston.
1994 Madrona Ranch
Double decant back into the bottle. This bottle was in perfect shape. Many of the restaurant staff absolutely loved the 94 & 95. By the time we had it before our meal I'm afraid we might have missed the peak window and expression of the 94. Of the two bottles from the 90's the 95 edge this one out over the length of our meal.
Depending upon storage this wine still has a lot of life yet. Drink or hold.
February 13, 2021 - Just totally rocking and maybe my WOTN. It’s in a sweet spot. Very balanced. Fruit still very there but lots of secondary too. Elegant and more restrained in style. Really enjoyed this and was glad to see we own more.
May 25, 2019 - Beautiful color did not reveal its age. An elegant wine that has aged gracefully like a fine claret. Plenty of dark fruits in the nose with blackberries, blueberries, plums, and black currants along with licorice, earthiness, and some coffee. Deep berry fruit in the flavor. Very well balanced, medium to full bodied, nice complexity, and a long smooth finish. 94/95
September 30, 2018 - Charleston Offlineorama IV; 9/27/2018-10/1/2018 (Charleston, NC (various locations)): 2/6 wines tasted blind. The nose is not very expressive. The color is ruby red no bricking. On the palate, dark mature fruits, bramble and dry forest floor. Very integrated an pulled together.
September 30, 2018 - Charleston IV - Return of the Collectible; 9/27/2018-9/30/2018 (Charleston, SC (various locations)): Wine #2: I wasn't 100% sure how this was going to show. We've had some old Abreus that were very good but we've also had some that just didn't age quite as well as they should have. This drank young. Lovely, but there's still more time needed for the oak and tannin to integrate into the right spot. The fruit is very much there - lots of lovely dark ones. Some lavender and cigar which made it feel a bit 'pretty' but there is also power there. Will lay the others down for awhile. This is a wine built to last.
May 7, 2018 - Tasted over 5 hours. Fine but not special and a disappointment given the price tag. Offering little on the nose and very little in the way of fruit. I wonder if this bottle was heat damaged (purchased at auction)? It was fine, balanced from an acid and body perspective, but gave very little in terms of the nose and very little fruit.
November 23, 2017 - From Perfect Magnum of Perfect Provenance:
CORKED! D’oh.
(if i hadnt had a bottle of Schultze Windy Oaks SC PN and glass of Beringer Cab on hand with two carafes with which to build my monster, i dont what i’da done! Bought at RETAIL?? [shudder])
DillaStien’s Monster Wine : 93-94 points, EZ..
September 30, 2017 - Guys Night Part III (Jason's House): I believe pop and pour. This was one of the best California cabernets I have had. The nose is classic Bordeaux. The palate leans towards saddle leather and red fruit, which makes me think it's California cabernet. Really well done.