2001 Abreu Madrona Ranch Vineyard Proprietary Red - 100 pts!

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	2001
Rating	100 RP
Bottle Size	750 ml
Bottle Quantity	1
Country	USA
Region	California
Location	North Coast
Producer	Abreu Vineyards
Color	Red
Wine Type	Table

Rating

100 RP - While I am not surprised that the 2001 Thorevilos turned out to be perfect, the 2001 Madrona Ranch was more of an eye-opener in that it has become even more extraordinary than I predicted eight years ago. A prodigious wine, with complex notes of subtle barbecue smoke intermixed with blueberry pie, black currant liqueur, acacia flowers, lead pencil shavings, and sweet foresty floor notes, this wine builds incrementally with layer upon layer of fruit, glycerin and concentration. The finish goes well past a minute, and the wine is full-bodied and deep, with wonderfully sweet tannin. It is still an adolescent in terms of its total evolution, but it is irresistible simply because of the flawless nature of the wine and incredible perfume and flavor intensity. Simply amazing! Both of these wines are adolescents, and probably won't peak for another 5-8 years and keep for 30-40. RP

Wine Spectator

Burghound

Varietal	Proprietary Blend
Vintage	2001
Rating	100 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)

2001 Abreu Madrona Ranch Vineyard Proprietary Red - 750ml