I don’t drink a lot of California Cabernet, but this is pretty nice. Good persistence through the finish, nicely balanced, with nice berry fruit on the nose. Really nice.
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Weekend at Bernie's; 2/25/2022-2/27/2022 (Vero Beach): These wines continue to stun me. If the first two wines we had were very much traditional Napa and the next two were much more old world in style this is like all of the stuff I like about old world but taking advantage of the Napa fruit. It's complex, interesting, still quite bright. Long life ahead. Always wish we could find more of these.
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This layered and balanced Cabernet is drinking impressively, with an elegant mouthfeel, lively acidity, and savory flavors. Light garnet in color and medium in body, the wine looks like a Burgundy but smells like mature Bordeaux goodness - e.g., sandalwood, black cherry, pencil lead, and ground pepper. The flavors, seamless and subdued, include leather, gravel, and olive tapenade, followed by a graceful and layered finish with some dry tannin (i.e., bay leaf) and a hint of sweetness (i.e., pure California). 12.8% alcohol.
Madrona was the first of the Abreu sites, and this wine is still going strong as it approaches the three-decade mark. This was likely more powerful years ago, but it is still a balanced and delicious wine. Made by Ric Forman. Decant a few hours, but don't go overboard (i.e., it got plummy at the 5+ hour mark). Drink in next few years.
92-93. PNP. Wine stood for months prior to opening. Slightly crumbly cork needed Durand with a lot of sediment discarded in last 1-2 oz. on PNP the wine was a 94+ with brooding, deep dark red fruits, herbal notes, savory tobacco and a seam of animal fur. Over time the wine opened up to more red raspberry, sour cherry and bretty animal fur. Became like a more boisterous lynch bage, with more ripeness and more funk. I don't mind funk, but this was too much funk for me as it continued to open. 92 on the last glass.
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Wine in the Sunshine State; 2/20/2020-2/23/2020 (Florida): I am shocked how young this was. Opened and decanted at the beginning of dinner. Even 4 hours later it was still a bit tight. Fruit fully present, secondary hadn't really started to show up. But there is a lot of potential here. Nice.
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Amazingly deep color at 26 years. Plenty of black fruits. Blackberries, black currants, leather, and some herbalness in the nose. Blackberries and black currants in the flavor. Well balanced, medium to full bodied, medium to long finish.
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Dinner at Home (Fremont, CA): Even with the Durand, a small fragment broke off the bottom of the cork, though no wine staining along the cork. Most of the sediment was stuck on the side, with just a bit at the bottom. Deep ruby with minimal bricking; highly aromatic while decanting and in the glass, blackcurrant, blackberry, fairly primary but just a bit of cigar smoke; palate is full bodied, still tannins present which are slightly drying, plenty of black fruit, balanced medium alcohol (classically styled, bottle says 12.8%), fruit persists through most of the midpalate; finish is medium length but the fruit fades a bit quickly. Overall impressions are the same as last time ("Very good California cabernet at peak"), but this bottle is slightly different with slightly less aromatics (though still plenty there), perhaps just a tad more persistence on the midpalate, still just a bit of a shorter finish than expected. 93-94, at peak and likely 5 years left on this plateau before a slow decline. 1 hour decanted: Nose is similar, hasn't changed much, still an excellent set of aromatics but not particularly distinctive, same with the palate, enjoyable and balanced but doesn't have a signature other than "well made".
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This was a sub-par bottle, unfortunately. Slightly disappointing. Less complex and integrated than previous bottles. Seems unevolved and even young? Good, not great.
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Nose of green vegetation and earth. Little to no fruit. Remains with full body and long tannins. At a dinner with many sommeliers (including 2 masters), represented well against '89 mouton
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Getting in the mood for this saturdays' USA-95-tasting. Pop 'pour. Deep garnet colour and a dense core. Bright dark red fruit, graphite, sandalwood, grilled bellpepper, tobaccoleaf and leather. Also fresh cut herbs like mint and sage. Silky tannines, wonderfully integrated, lovely acidity. This has a very cool, graceful, slightly rustic and old-fashioned (maybe even European) Cabernet personality. Label states a whopping 12,8% ABV..! A great wine, especially suitable for Bordeaux-holics like me. Prime-time drinking, will easily stay on this plateau for 3-5 more years. Would love to taste this in a line-up with some top-tier 2001 Leftbankers!
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Medium ruby with age-appropriate bricking; nose is aromatic, plenty of pure blackcurrant, dense black fruit, slight dusty spice, cigar tobacco; palate is full bodied, velvety texture, fully integrated tannin, dense black fruit at first that fades just slightly towards the finish; short-medium length finish. Overall a very good california cabernet at peak. Compared to my last note in 2012, the nose is still better than the palate, palate is still somewhat short on fruit towards the finish, and the fruit profile is more black than red, though my last bottle also developed significantly with air (more black fruits, more palate length) and I'm curious to see if this will do the same. 93-95 2 hours air: nose is just as good with deep concentration of black fruits; palate has fleshed out a bit but overall is still a bit short on the fruits and consistent with my last bottle. I have a few more of these and will attempt to finish in the next 5 years.
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One of the earliest Abreu wines he produced. 23 years old now. Definitely still humming but it's was definitely in a state of decline. Beautiful nose of Bordeaux (earth, pine straw, dirt, gravel) with a richness of black fruit, orange, coffee notes. However, the finish was short and had weakness. We decanted but I don't recommend that of this wine.
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Drank beautifully. Super smooth, tannins are fully resolved though the finish was on the short side. Not as brooding as it was a few years ago, which is what I loved about it the first time having it. Still excellent all around.
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Lovely pure well-aged california cab with some nice complexity and structure. Deep dark color with no faded rim. Nice current, loam, cedar, toast nose, pleasant and smooth mouthful of cab fruit with soft tannics, nice acid balance. As it opened up it took on a bordeaux-like nose - not bad at all.
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Monthly Wine Group: Domestic Cabs and Blends (Bloomington Chop House, Bloomington, MN): Very dark red-garnet color - no bricking. Drank 1 glass over 2 hours plus. This had a splendid nose, very complex and filled with perfume, funk, earthy, sandalwood, cassis and some dried red berry. The palate is medium-full bodied, elegant, nearly resolved, deep flavors, glycerin, cassis, black raspberry liqueur, earth, pencil, still has slightly drying tannins. Medium plus finish. 93+pts to 94pts.
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Medium ruby colored; pronounced nose with tart red cherries, red fruits, cedar, slight smoke, sweet spices, peppery, vanilla, hint chewy black fruits/licorice with swirling; palate medium bodied, shows well integrated tannins, medium balanced acidity, a bit woody (in an unusual way), tart red cherries, fading fruit; short-medium finish. The nose was stupendous and the palate seems a bit tired, so an interesting dichotomy overall. Will be interesting to see if decanting fleshes out the palate. For now, 93. Update: With 30-60 min air, palate fills out, woodiness subsides, medium length finish. Palate is still not as stupendous as the nose, but the nose is beguiling. Excellent wine, drinking at mid-late maturity. 93-94. 90 min air: on another level now. Obvious cherry cola, even more complexity on the nose; palate has fleshed out completely and has more fleshed out black fruit to replace the tart red fruit. Fabulous. For future reference, this needs 60-90 minutes air and has a long plateau ahead of it. 95-96
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Oak, blackberry, cassis, earth and mushroom scents became apparent with coaxing. While concentrated and full bodied, the wine was drying out and tasted like tart cherries. This bottle was purchased on release and brought the original owner. I'd like to try another to see if this was a correct bottle. It might be time to drink up.
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The wine seem a little tight in the first 2 hours. It opens up nicely after that. Classical style rather than a typical CA cab. Cassis, red fruits, herbs, spice box. Big wine that really give you both CA cab like in mouth along with the glimpse of classic scent. Stunning finish. Other guys didn't quite like it, but I l really love it!!!
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Very nice, but really I was somewhat disappointed. The fruit is a tad faded. Purchased at auction so perhaps this bottle was not stored very well. I have had quite a few 1993 California Cabs that were better.
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Consumed 12/9/06: Recommend 2 hour minimum decant. We drank several bottles this night and this was the one we were able to let breathe the longest (drank part before a prayer meeting and gathering and more later). Upon popping the cork a beautiful perfume wafted out. A beautifully dark purple color. Tannis present but well integrated. Intense concentrated fruit like black raspberry liquer almost, blackberry syrup, raspberry syrup. Quite good. Definitely the modern California style, which I like although I prefer classic claret. First Madrona Ranch i've had. I don't consider it a good qpr wine (at least this vintage) compared to say a 94 Leoville Las Cases, which is more elegant, balanced, penetrating, and with a longer finish, if not as robust and swelling, which the Madrona Ranch was, like a latex glove full of enormous elements, but bulging, and not in proportion to the item as a whole (which I would call the 94 Leoville Las Cases, which I recently had in 375 and was surprised by its quality, because of the vintage). Or like a Stalinist overemphasized statue of a woman with bulging breasts and thighs (I recently saw a photo of one of these) - if you like that, go for the Madrona Ranch. If you like the Venus de Milo, or even a Rubens beauty, steer towards St. Julien.
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Steaks done Manlin style (Issaquah, WA): This started out with huge notes of cola and root-beer. The palate is loaded with crushed raspberry, very bright, very nice structure. Some mineral/vitamin comes out on this very intense wine, and there is a unique zinginess and vibrancy, very edgy, quite tannic, and quite lovely. A unique wine.
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After decanting for a couple of hours, drank about half the bottle. It was okay...88 pts? Very ordinary. 4 days later (tasting a bit each night), it finally came around and was quite appealing. 93ish now. I could see in another 5 years or so it being more in the 95-97 range.
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Thanksgiving dinner with Phil, Ruth and the boys. Vibrant purple in the glass, this doesn't look a year old let alone 10. On the nose this shows dominant scents of mint, cola, root beer (or as Dave Browning would say, sassafrass) with background hints of violet, coconut, and black cherry. Initially this showed massive structure, yet this seems less extracted than prior (1994, 1995, 1997) Abreu wines I have enjoyed. However, with time this gains a huge amount of weight and depth. On the palate there is a load of mint, black cherry and a dark and brooding character, but as it opened this became sweeter and sweeter with stunningly pure cassis. The finish is an explosion of flavor that lasts for more than a minute.
Wow, all four tastes of Abreu wines have left me wondering if there is a more pure and clean expression of Napa Cabernet to be found from any other producer? I tend to doubt it, this is simply glorious stuff!
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11/11/2023 - Bob H wrote:
I don’t drink a lot of California Cabernet, but this is pretty nice. Good persistence through the finish, nicely balanced, with nice berry fruit on the nose. Really nice.
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12/24/2022 - wa2ofd Likes this wine:
Beautiful still. Subtle fruit and a little thin. Drink up.
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2/25/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Weekend at Bernie's; 2/25/2022-2/27/2022 (Vero Beach): These wines continue to stun me. If the first two wines we had were very much traditional Napa and the next two were much more old world in style this is like all of the stuff I like about old world but taking advantage of the Napa fruit. It's complex, interesting, still quite bright. Long life ahead. Always wish we could find more of these.
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7/13/2021 - msuwine wrote: 94 Points
This layered and balanced Cabernet is drinking impressively, with an elegant mouthfeel, lively acidity, and savory flavors. Light garnet in color and medium in body, the wine looks like a Burgundy but smells like mature Bordeaux goodness - e.g., sandalwood, black cherry, pencil lead, and ground pepper. The flavors, seamless and subdued, include leather, gravel, and olive tapenade, followed by a graceful and layered finish with some dry tannin (i.e., bay leaf) and a hint of sweetness (i.e., pure California). 12.8% alcohol.
Madrona was the first of the Abreu sites, and this wine is still going strong as it approaches the three-decade mark. This was likely more powerful years ago, but it is still a balanced and delicious wine. Made by Ric Forman. Decant a few hours, but don't go overboard (i.e., it got plummy at the 5+ hour mark). Drink in next few years.
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2/22/2021 - SARED wrote: 93 Points
92-93. PNP. Wine stood for months prior to opening. Slightly crumbly cork needed Durand with a lot of sediment discarded in last 1-2 oz. on PNP the wine was a 94+ with brooding, deep dark red fruits, herbal notes, savory tobacco and a seam of animal fur. Over time the wine opened up to more red raspberry, sour cherry and bretty animal fur. Became like a more boisterous lynch bage, with more ripeness and more funk. I don't mind funk, but this was too much funk for me as it continued to open. 92 on the last glass.
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6/27/2020 - mckillop Likes this wine: 95 Points
A perfect old Napa. Great acidity with a perfect balance of young and mature fruit. Could drink this all day every day!
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2/21/2020 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine in the Sunshine State; 2/20/2020-2/23/2020 (Florida): I am shocked how young this was. Opened and decanted at the beginning of dinner. Even 4 hours later it was still a bit tight. Fruit fully present, secondary hadn't really started to show up. But there is a lot of potential here. Nice.
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7/20/2019 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazingly deep color at 26 years. Plenty of black fruits. Blackberries, black currants, leather, and some herbalness in the nose. Blackberries and black currants in the flavor. Well balanced, medium to full bodied, medium to long finish.
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12/29/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Home (Fremont, CA): Even with the Durand, a small fragment broke off the bottom of the cork, though no wine staining along the cork. Most of the sediment was stuck on the side, with just a bit at the bottom. Deep ruby with minimal bricking; highly aromatic while decanting and in the glass, blackcurrant, blackberry, fairly primary but just a bit of cigar smoke; palate is full bodied, still tannins present which are slightly drying, plenty of black fruit, balanced medium alcohol (classically styled, bottle says 12.8%), fruit persists through most of the midpalate; finish is medium length but the fruit fades a bit quickly. Overall impressions are the same as last time ("Very good California cabernet at peak"), but this bottle is slightly different with slightly less aromatics (though still plenty there), perhaps just a tad more persistence on the midpalate, still just a bit of a shorter finish than expected. 93-94, at peak and likely 5 years left on this plateau before a slow decline.
1 hour decanted: Nose is similar, hasn't changed much, still an excellent set of aromatics but not particularly distinctive, same with the palate, enjoyable and balanced but doesn't have a signature other than "well made".
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4/2/2017 - jkoenen wrote: 91 Points
This was a sub-par bottle, unfortunately. Slightly disappointing.
Less complex and integrated than previous bottles. Seems unevolved and even young? Good, not great.
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1/11/2017 - sjdoc wrote: 93 Points
Nose of green vegetation and earth. Little to no fruit. Remains with full body and long tannins. At a dinner with many sommeliers (including 2 masters), represented well against '89 mouton
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9/19/2016 - jkoenen wrote: 94 Points
Getting in the mood for this saturdays' USA-95-tasting.
Pop 'pour. Deep garnet colour and a dense core.
Bright dark red fruit, graphite, sandalwood, grilled bellpepper, tobaccoleaf and leather. Also fresh cut herbs like mint and sage. Silky tannines, wonderfully integrated, lovely acidity. This has a very cool, graceful, slightly rustic and old-fashioned (maybe even European) Cabernet personality. Label states a whopping 12,8% ABV..!
A great wine, especially suitable for Bordeaux-holics like me. Prime-time drinking, will easily stay on this plateau for 3-5 more years. Would love to taste this in a line-up with some top-tier 2001 Leftbankers!
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8/19/2016 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Medium ruby with age-appropriate bricking; nose is aromatic, plenty of pure blackcurrant, dense black fruit, slight dusty spice, cigar tobacco; palate is full bodied, velvety texture, fully integrated tannin, dense black fruit at first that fades just slightly towards the finish; short-medium length finish. Overall a very good california cabernet at peak. Compared to my last note in 2012, the nose is still better than the palate, palate is still somewhat short on fruit towards the finish, and the fruit profile is more black than red, though my last bottle also developed significantly with air (more black fruits, more palate length) and I'm curious to see if this will do the same. 93-95
2 hours air: nose is just as good with deep concentration of black fruits; palate has fleshed out a bit but overall is still a bit short on the fruits and consistent with my last bottle. I have a few more of these and will attempt to finish in the next 5 years.
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4/3/2016 - Knicksfan wrote:
Fruit is essentially integrated and secondary characteristics predominate.
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3/5/2016 - wa2ofd Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfume, luscious, well stored and uneedful of a decant...Star wine of the evening...
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2/18/2016 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 96 Points
One of the earliest Abreu wines he produced. 23 years old now. Definitely still humming but it's was definitely in a state of decline. Beautiful nose of Bordeaux (earth, pine straw, dirt, gravel) with a richness of black fruit, orange, coffee notes. However, the finish was short and had weakness. We decanted but I don't recommend that of this wine.
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12/3/2015 - dkstar1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank beautifully. Super smooth, tannins are fully resolved though the finish was on the short side. Not as brooding as it was a few years ago, which is what I loved about it the first time having it. Still excellent all around.
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8/30/2014 - wa2ofd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sublime... Dark fruits, lovely finish, mature cab, drinking well
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4/3/2014 - michael47 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely pure well-aged california cab with some nice complexity and structure. Deep dark color with no faded rim. Nice current, loam, cedar, toast nose, pleasant and smooth mouthful of cab fruit with soft tannics, nice acid balance. As it opened up it took on a bordeaux-like nose - not bad at all.
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3/16/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Monthly Wine Group: Domestic Cabs and Blends (Bloomington Chop House, Bloomington, MN): Very dark red-garnet color - no bricking. Drank 1 glass over 2 hours plus. This had a splendid nose, very complex and filled with perfume, funk, earthy, sandalwood, cassis and some dried red berry. The palate is medium-full bodied, elegant, nearly resolved, deep flavors, glycerin, cassis, black raspberry liqueur, earth, pencil, still has slightly drying tannins. Medium plus finish. 93+pts to 94pts.
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7/31/2012 - Thralow wrote: 95 Points
Smell of pencil shavings. Taste of roasted raspberries.
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6/15/2012 - aagrawal wrote: 95 Points
Medium ruby colored; pronounced nose with tart red cherries, red fruits, cedar, slight smoke, sweet spices, peppery, vanilla, hint chewy black fruits/licorice with swirling; palate medium bodied, shows well integrated tannins, medium balanced acidity, a bit woody (in an unusual way), tart red cherries, fading fruit; short-medium finish. The nose was stupendous and the palate seems a bit tired, so an interesting dichotomy overall. Will be interesting to see if decanting fleshes out the palate. For now, 93.
Update: With 30-60 min air, palate fills out, woodiness subsides, medium length finish. Palate is still not as stupendous as the nose, but the nose is beguiling. Excellent wine, drinking at mid-late maturity. 93-94.
90 min air: on another level now. Obvious cherry cola, even more complexity on the nose; palate has fleshed out completely and has more fleshed out black fruit to replace the tart red fruit. Fabulous. For future reference, this needs 60-90 minutes air and has a long plateau ahead of it. 95-96
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11/27/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 83 Points
Oak, blackberry, cassis, earth and mushroom scents became apparent with coaxing. While concentrated and full bodied, the wine was drying out and tasted like tart cherries. This bottle was purchased on release and brought the original owner. I'd like to try another to see if this was a correct bottle. It might be time to drink up.
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8/1/2010 - herberto wrote: 91 Points
I guess this was good. Super concentrated, bordering on syrupy. Also fairly tannic and backward.
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2/9/2010 - JJL wrote: 85 Points
Sweet nose and up front sweet palate, but lacking mid palate or finish. Very thin body. Neil said this bottle was not up to previous bottles.
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1/26/2010 - thepeng1 wrote: 97 Points
Finally waited long enough for an Abreau to live up to the hype.
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8/2/2009 - loverboy wrote: 93 Points
The wine seem a little tight in the first 2 hours. It opens up nicely after that. Classical style rather than a typical CA cab. Cassis, red fruits, herbs, spice box. Big wine that really give you both CA cab like in mouth along with the glimpse of classic scent. Stunning finish.
Other guys didn't quite like it, but I l really love it!!!
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4/28/2009 - psmith wrote:
1994 and 1997 California Cabernet Retrospective (Chicago, IL): Sweet fruit and classic Abreu styling, but somewhat dilute and lacking in structure owing to the vintage. Nice purity. Pretty wine, but not particularly special.
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7/21/2007 - mmdavis4 wrote: 89 Points
Very nice, but really I was somewhat disappointed. The fruit is a tad faded. Purchased at auction so perhaps this bottle was not stored very well. I have had quite a few 1993 California Cabs that were better.
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12/12/2006 - kkazaks wrote: 92 Points
Consumed 12/9/06: Recommend 2 hour minimum decant. We drank several bottles this night and this was the one we were able to let breathe the longest (drank part before a prayer meeting and gathering and more later). Upon popping the cork a beautiful perfume wafted out. A beautifully dark purple color. Tannis present but well integrated. Intense concentrated fruit like black raspberry liquer almost, blackberry syrup, raspberry syrup. Quite good. Definitely the modern California style, which I like although I prefer classic claret. First Madrona Ranch i've had. I don't consider it a good qpr wine (at least this vintage) compared to say a 94 Leoville Las Cases, which is more elegant, balanced, penetrating, and with a longer finish, if not as robust and swelling, which the Madrona Ranch was, like a latex glove full of enormous elements, but bulging, and not in proportion to the item as a whole (which I would call the 94 Leoville Las Cases, which I recently had in 375 and was surprised by its quality, because of the vintage). Or like a Stalinist overemphasized statue of a woman with bulging breasts and thighs (I recently saw a photo of one of these) - if you like that, go for the Madrona Ranch. If you like the Venus de Milo, or even a Rubens beauty, steer towards St. Julien.
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6/17/2006 - Eric wrote: 95 Points
Steaks done Manlin style (Issaquah, WA): This started out with huge notes of cola and root-beer. The palate is loaded with crushed raspberry, very bright, very nice structure. Some mineral/vitamin comes out on this very intense wine, and there is a unique zinginess and vibrancy, very edgy, quite tannic, and quite lovely. A unique wine.
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3/29/2005 - LoireFan wrote:
After decanting for a couple of hours, drank about half the bottle. It was okay...88 pts? Very ordinary. 4 days later (tasting a bit each night), it finally came around and was quite appealing. 93ish now. I could see in another 5 years or so it being more in the 95-97 range.
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11/27/2003 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Thanksgiving dinner with Phil, Ruth and the boys. Vibrant purple in the glass, this doesn't look a year old let alone 10. On the nose this shows dominant scents of mint, cola, root beer (or as Dave Browning would say, sassafrass) with background hints of violet, coconut, and black cherry. Initially this showed massive structure, yet this seems less extracted than prior (1994, 1995, 1997) Abreu wines I have enjoyed. However, with time this gains a huge amount of weight and depth. On the palate there is a load of mint, black cherry and a dark and brooding character, but as it opened this became sweeter and sweeter with stunningly pure cassis. The finish is an explosion of flavor that lasts for more than a minute.
Wow, all four tastes of Abreu wines have left me wondering if there is a more pure and clean expression of Napa Cabernet to be found from any other producer? I tend to doubt it, this is simply glorious stuff!
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3/30/2003 - dbg wrote:
outstanding depth, richness, great complexity with nice coffee/tar notes
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10/17/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
CT Group does 1996 Bordeaux @ Jeff S: Nice, minerals, earthy fruits, great mouthfeel. Great wine.
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10/9/1999 - dbg wrote:
opens great, but falls off after an hour
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9/25/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Great Cult Tasting: Wonderful wine. Black fruits, earth, truffles, minerals. Nice concentration with balanced structure. Excellent.
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6/5/1999 - dbg wrote:
initially closed, opens up with time & decanting, deep fruit, chocolate/mocha nose, fresh fruit on palate, no harsh tannins
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10/23/1998 - dbg wrote:
outstanding dense, rich
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