2000 Abreu Madrona Ranch Vineyard Proprietary Red

Is anyone anywhere in the world making more consistently profound wines than the famous viticulturalist David Abreu and his long-time sidekick and assistant, former chef Brad Grimes? Working from relatively small sites, two of them adjacent to the back streets of St. Helena (the six-acre Cappella Vineyard alongside a cemetery and the home estate of Madrona Ranch at the base of Spring Mountain) to the co-owned vineyard with Ric Forman, the magnificent Thorevilos Vineyard behind the Meadowood Resort. There is also his own 2,000-foot elevation site on Howell Mountain.

These wines are all proprietary reds, probably containing at least 60-65% Cabernet Sauvignon, the rest largely Cabernet Franc with a little Petit Verdot and occasionally tiny amounts of Merlot. They spend a full two years in 100% new French oak and are bottled without any fining or filtration. They are exquisite examples of Bordeaux blends that are true first growths in every sense. So how do I go about describing these wines, which are so exciting and satisfying on both hedonistic and intellectual levels?

Varietal	Proprietary Blend
Vintage	2000
Rating	92 RP
Bottle Size	750 ml
Bottle Quantity	1
Country	USA
Region	California
Location	North Coast
Producer	Abreu Vineyards
Color	Red
Wine Type	Table

Rating

92 RP - A candidate for wine of the vintage the gorgeous 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot boasts an inky/purple color as well as a sumptuous perfume of violets blackberries blueberries and coffee offered in a medium to full-bodied supple-textured accessible style. Unlike Abreu's biggest vintages the 2000 is already delicious and promises to evolve for 12-15 years. Napa Valley's most gifted vineyard manager and certainly a must-hire for those looking to develop great vineyards and produce top quality wines David Abreu continues to fine tune his own estate producing some of the most prodigious Cabernet Sauvignons in the world. RP

Wine Spectator

Burghound

Varietal	Proprietary Blend
Vintage	2000
Rating	92 RP
Barrels	French Oak
Style	Bordeaux Blend
Owners	David Abreu
Region	California
Location	North Coast
Producer	Abreu Vineyards
Winemaker	Brad Grimes
Production	under 500 cases (approx)

2000 Abreu Madrona Ranch Vineyard Proprietary Red - 750ml