One of the many wines tasted throughout the evening and this showing was stellar! I will sub classify this one on the more youthful bottles outside of the MacDonalds vertical. This reminds me of the Forman wines from the 90's.
Drinking beautiful now with many years ahead. Loved this wine with layers of fruit concentration, earth notes, hints of coffee and spice. The terrific balance just elevates this wine to a higher level. 98
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Similar to prior notes after a 2.5 hour double decant, WOTN against some good wines; outstanding, but I suspect it will still improve, drink or hold, no rush
A very big wine and obviously very well made. Dark and brooding wow. Explosive fruit but not jammy or over extracted. Not for the AFWE crowd. That explains why there was wine left to take home. I admit that on second day this fell flat. Double decanted into the bottle two hours before.
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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.
2004 Madrona Ranch.
On the nose this wine is intoxicating. The fruit is ripe and the acid is in balance. Showing wonderfully young at 18 years of age. Easily wine of the night amounts the wives. This will will continue to benefit from bottle age.
Reflecting back at the recent 04 Thorevilos these sites terroir and expressions so different. Madrona more polished and youthful where the Thor was more earth toned and mature.
98+ with possible perfection in the future.
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Night at the Madrona: This wine's integration and balance are impeccable - and thrilling. Brick in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of dried blueberry, baked herbs, espresso, and trail dust. The flavors cascade, with notes of blackberry, anise, bay leaf, and gravel, with a finish that goes on and on and on. 14.5% alcohol. Blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, along with some Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. More juicy on second day, with a note of licorice I hadn’t detected earlier. 98+ at the moment, but drink in next 2-4 years. Just an exceptional wine.
Similar to prior note after a 2 hour double decant; outstanding, but still seems young. I need to try to hold off on the next one for another year or so
Thanks Edward brought this wine to share in the American wines’ night. This was wow wine of the night and got most of the votes. This was also the first American wine impressed me the most, surpassing Opus One 2013 I brought the night, with elegant and expensive nose and palate. What I would compare this with Lafite in BDX. A wonderful wine to enjoy, even without food!
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Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby with no brick, dark fruit with a touch of leather on the nose, black cherries on the palate, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding & has entered its drinking window which I suspect will last years. A beautiful bottle shared with great friends!
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Abreu's 2004 Madrona Ranch is a wine of elegance with an understated nose of blueberry, black cherry, pencil shaving, and licorice. Plushly textured, full bodied but doesn't show the weight. Soft tannins but slightly drying on the finish. Very Pomerol/Merlot-like despite this being 85% Cabernet sauvignon.
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85% Cab Sauvignon, remainder a mix of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 14.5% ABV. Aged 24 months in new French Oak. I let it breathe for 2.5 hrs. Enjoyed over 2. Cork broke in half upon opening. Never a good sign. A lot of heat on the nose. Lots of oak notes. Perhaps the cork did not make it all these years. I'm seeing a lot of bottle variation in the CT notes, so perhaps mine was among those that did not survive. Let's see how it goes on day 2.
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2 hour decant. Deep rich and concentrated. Dark berries, anise , orange peel with some leather from age. Definitely new world style circa 2004. The fruit in this bottle was a little stewed.
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First wine in 2019. On the nose, licorice, shaved pencil, tar, and sweet dark berries, on the palate, good grip with some tannin and spices, finish was quite long thanks to its chewy tannin and medium body & solid structure. It’s a good wine but for the current pretty high price and richness on palate, hard to be my go-to wine. 2004 is around 85% Cab Sauvignon and rest is mostly Cab franc.
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BYO - US wines (Trio): Juicy blackberry fruit with cocoa and lots of vanilla. The tannins are unfortunately very hash and unforgiving which really ruins the "pleasure". Highly disappointing to me that this wine didn't perform better than this. 94+
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This is just a wonderful wine. Clearly new world, but next to a '99 Shafer you can see there's a different wine making approach here. A bit more restrained. Great fruit, but more acid to balance it. And I really just enjoyed it. Glad we have a bottle, but wish we had more!
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Combining elegance with fresh, ripe, sweet, luscious, black cherries, licorice, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla bean and just a hint of blueberry, the wine is focused on being refined, while serving up, ripe, fleshy, sweet berries. This is probably drinking at peak, where it should remain for years.
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Decanted. Dark garnet color with a slight bricking on the rim. I experienced initial aromas of earth, asphalt, and black currant. After 3 hours in the decanter I sensed more leather, dark berry, and a dash of cinnamon. The tannins were present but rounded, but not to the point I would say "silky," so this wine has room to run. The deep and wonderful flavors were integrated beautifully even if they seemed less complex than the nose, but the finish was long and fabulous. In total a gorgeous wine with many years ahead until its prime.
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- Purple color with medium forming legs and aromas of cherry. It's balanced and has flavours of cherry with a full body. Polished texture with a long finish - 1 hour decant, lots of acid and just my think. A terrific wine.
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Abreu makes fantastic wine and the 2004 Madrona Ranch is perhaps the most underrated. Floral bouquet, hints of black berries, structurally well balanced with a maple syrup taste but its not sweet. The Madrona Ranch vineyard usually produces 500 cases but in 2004 only 200 cases were produced which is in-line with Abreu's Thorevilos production. I liked the 2004 so much that I bought another 6 bottles. 2400 bottles of the 2004 Madrona Ranch exist so if you get a chance don't even think about it -BUY it and you'll be very happy that you did. Give it two hours in the decanter and start to enjoy.
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Taste at IV. This was a huge wine. Massively textured black cherries, dark roast coffee, leather, earth. I really enjoyed the meaty spice on the mid palate. This is a complete wine experience. Long structured and built for super aging. Masculine wine. Ridiculously long finish - about a minute. Looking forward to coming back to this in 5-10 years.
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2/9/2024 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 98 Points
CDV713/MacDonald
One of the many wines tasted throughout the evening and this showing was stellar! I will sub classify this one on the more youthful bottles outside of the MacDonalds vertical. This reminds me of the Forman wines from the 90's.
98+
Drink or hold
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12/9/2023 - vindaddy Likes this wine: 98 Points
Drinking beautiful now with many years ahead. Loved this wine with layers of fruit concentration, earth notes, hints of coffee and spice. The terrific balance just elevates this wine to a higher level. 98
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9/17/2023 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 98 Points
From memory after a 2 hour double decant; outstanding, another great bottle, drink or hold, no rush
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3/25/2023 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Similar to prior notes after a 2 hour double decant, WOTN again against some good wines; outstanding, drink or hold, no rush
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10/1/2022 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Similar to prior notes after a 2.5 hour double decant, WOTN against some good wines; outstanding, but I suspect it will still improve, drink or hold, no rush
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7/24/2022 - shaferguy91 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 1 hour.
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5/9/2022 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Similar to prior note after a 2 hour double decant; outstanding, but needs a longer decant or more time; outstanding, drink or preferably hold
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4/23/2022 - Barsacpinci Likes this wine: 91 Points
A very big wine and obviously very well made. Dark and brooding wow. Explosive fruit but not jammy or over extracted. Not for the AFWE crowd. That explains why there was wine left to take home. I admit that on second day this fell flat. Double decanted into the bottle two hours before.
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2/18/2022 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 98 Points
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.
2004 Madrona Ranch.
On the nose this wine is intoxicating. The fruit is ripe and the acid is in balance. Showing wonderfully young at 18 years of age. Easily wine of the night amounts the wives. This will will continue to benefit from bottle age.
Reflecting back at the recent 04 Thorevilos these sites terroir and expressions so different. Madrona more polished and youthful where the Thor was more earth toned and mature.
98+ with possible perfection in the future.
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8/27/2021 - msuwine wrote: 98 Points
Night at the Madrona: This wine's integration and balance are impeccable - and thrilling. Brick in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of dried blueberry, baked herbs, espresso, and trail dust. The flavors cascade, with notes of blackberry, anise, bay leaf, and gravel, with a finish that goes on and on and on. 14.5% alcohol. Blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, along with some Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. More juicy on second day, with a note of licorice I hadn’t detected earlier. 98+ at the moment, but drink in next 2-4 years. Just an exceptional wine.
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7/8/2021 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Similar to prior note after a 2 hour double decant; outstanding, but still seems young. I need to try to hold off on the next one for another year or so
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5/14/2021 - BLam Likes this wine: 95 Points
Thanks Edward brought this wine to share in the American wines’ night. This was wow wine of the night and got most of the votes. This was also the first American wine impressed me the most, surpassing Opus One 2013 I brought the night, with elegant and expensive nose and palate. What I would compare this with Lafite in BDX. A wonderful wine to enjoy, even without food!
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4/23/2021 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Similar to prior note after a 2 hour double decant, except a little more tannic; outstanding, drink or preferably hold for another year or 2
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1/1/2021 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby with no brick, dark fruit with a touch of leather on the nose, black cherries on the palate, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding & has entered its drinking window which I suspect will last years. A beautiful bottle shared with great friends!
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12/16/2020 - rlove wrote: 93 Points
Abreu's 2004 Madrona Ranch is a wine of elegance with an understated nose of blueberry, black cherry, pencil shaving, and licorice. Plushly textured, full bodied but doesn't show the weight. Soft tannins but slightly drying on the finish. Very Pomerol/Merlot-like despite this being 85% Cabernet sauvignon.
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5/27/2020 - mdvillaverde wrote: 93 Points
85% Cab Sauvignon, remainder a mix of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 14.5% ABV. Aged 24 months in new French Oak. I let it breathe for 2.5 hrs. Enjoyed over 2. Cork broke in half upon opening. Never a good sign. A lot of heat on the nose. Lots of oak notes. Perhaps the cork did not make it all these years. I'm seeing a lot of bottle variation in the CT notes, so perhaps mine was among those that did not survive. Let's see how it goes on day 2.
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5/26/2020 - Kevnzworld wrote: 93 Points
2 hour decant.
Deep rich and concentrated.
Dark berries, anise , orange peel with some leather from age.
Definitely new world style circa 2004.
The fruit in this bottle was a little stewed.
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1/1/2019 - Ms. Bubblehead wrote:
First wine in 2019.
On the nose, licorice, shaved pencil, tar, and sweet dark berries, on the palate, good grip with some tannin and spices, finish was quite long thanks to its chewy tannin and medium body & solid structure. It’s a good wine but for the current pretty high price and richness on palate, hard to be my go-to wine.
2004 is around 85% Cab Sauvignon and rest is mostly Cab franc.
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11/19/2018 - bobvictor wrote: 97 Points
Ethereal. Rich, silky, smooth. Great depth with blackberry, dark red fruit, licorice. Drinking wonderfully.
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9/23/2018 - floridawinedrkr wrote:
I think this bottle is bad. This was horrible. Like a bottle of cough medicine.
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12/10/2017 - Lateva wrote: 96 Points
Double decanted back into bottle 2 hours before dinner. This was rocking. Gorgeous fruit and structure.
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10/28/2017 - canan wrote: 94 Points
BYO - US wines (Trio): Juicy blackberry fruit with cocoa and lots of vanilla. The tannins are unfortunately very hash and unforgiving which really ruins the "pleasure".
Highly disappointing to me that this wine didn't perform better than this. 94+
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10/6/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
This is just a wonderful wine. Clearly new world, but next to a '99 Shafer you can see there's a different wine making approach here. A bit more restrained. Great fruit, but more acid to balance it. And I really just enjoyed it. Glad we have a bottle, but wish we had more!
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9/19/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Combining elegance with fresh, ripe, sweet, luscious, black cherries, licorice, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla bean and just a hint of blueberry, the wine is focused on being refined, while serving up, ripe, fleshy, sweet berries. This is probably drinking at peak, where it should remain for years.
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5/24/2016 - WineWright Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted. Dark garnet color with a slight bricking on the rim. I experienced initial aromas of earth, asphalt, and black currant. After 3 hours in the decanter I sensed more leather, dark berry, and a dash of cinnamon. The tannins were present but rounded, but not to the point I would say "silky," so this wine has room to run. The deep and wonderful flavors were integrated beautifully even if they seemed less complex than the nose, but the finish was long and fabulous. In total a gorgeous wine with many years ahead until its prime.
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2/27/2016 - mdfitz Likes this wine: 97 Points
Great wine, BUT unfair and may have received a higher rating if we had not also been drinking Schrader!
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2/21/2016 - rwstorer wrote: 98 Points
- Purple color with medium forming legs and aromas of cherry. It's balanced and has flavours of cherry with a full body. Polished texture with a long finish - 1 hour decant, lots of acid and just my think. A terrific wine.
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12/31/2015 - bmartz1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Real stunner. One of the longest finishes in a wine I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. Give it a few hours to decant and open up.
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7/20/2015 - aegerter Likes this wine: 99 Points
What an amazing example of Napa Cab! Perfect balance and drinks really well right now. Why not 100? Perfect but not quite magical.
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12/27/2014 - bonedoc wrote:
2004 Araujo eiesle - dark, balanced, more acid/structure and complexities
2004 Abreu madrona - milk chocolate, coffee, ripe, rich, sweet fruit, but less complexities and acid.
Slight edge araujo due to better balance, based on my palate preferences.
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11/23/2014 - Amerique wrote: 97 Points
Rich, smooth, huge
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4/5/2014 - CO_Roots13 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dark fruit in spades. Inky and concentrated. Opulent. Pretty outstanding. 9-19-9-9
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2/15/2013 - dmellinger wrote: 98 Points
Simply amazing. This wine can go for 20+ years or decant for hour plus. It is the smoothest wine ever
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1/19/2013 - SF_Wine wrote: 98 Points
Abreu makes fantastic wine and the 2004 Madrona Ranch is perhaps the most underrated. Floral bouquet, hints of black berries, structurally well balanced with a maple syrup taste but its not sweet. The Madrona Ranch vineyard usually produces 500 cases but in 2004 only 200 cases were produced which is in-line with Abreu's Thorevilos production. I liked the 2004 so much that I bought another 6 bottles. 2400 bottles of the 2004 Madrona Ranch exist so if you get a chance don't even think about it -BUY it and you'll be very happy that you did. Give it two hours in the decanter and start to enjoy.
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12/24/2011 - TwoSmoochies wrote: 94 Points
Well rounded with many berry notes
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4/14/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 96 Points
Taste at IV. This was a huge wine.
Massively textured black cherries, dark roast coffee, leather, earth. I really enjoyed the meaty spice on the mid palate.
This is a complete wine experience. Long structured and built for super aging. Masculine wine. Ridiculously long finish - about a minute.
Looking forward to coming back to this in 5-10 years.
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