Jeb Dunnuck, tasting note published in January 23rd 2020
A perfect wine in every way, the 2016 Madrona Ranch comes from a site at the base of Spring Mountain and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It does everything right, with a magical bouquet of currants, ground herbs, licorice, graphite, spice, and who knows what else. All of these lead to a massive 2016 that has a layered, multi-dimensional texture, building tannins, a colossal mid-palate, and a finish that doesn't let up. It's another heavenly wine from a great terroir and a great winemaker!
Most wines from Abreu Vineyards are predominantly made from Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The fruit is picked in the morning to retain freshness, and is hand-picked twice before fermentation.
All wines undergo malolactic fermentation before being aged in new French oak for two years before bottling.
After a further two years in bottle, it is released to the public, and often sold out exclusively to Abreu’s mailing list. The wines are ripe but structured and rich but not overdone.
Aged for 24 months in new French oak barrels
Allergens information
Contains sulphites.
SKU: 106670
Abreu Vineyards
Cappella is one of the oldest vineyard sites in St Helena. Six acres that sit next to a Catholic cemetery on the west side of town, it was first planted in 1869. In the 1980s, the church asked David to grub up the old vines, and then he watched as the land lay fallow for about two decades. When he finally got the chance to replant, he jumped at it. He had tasted fruit from Cappella in the 1970s. He knew what kind of wine he could make. But that first replanting was unsuccessful thanks to diseased rootstocks, and once again he was uprooting vines. “It took us six years before we had a crop. We could have ignored it, ripping out the vines one by one as they collapsed. But then we would have all these different ripening patterns, which would impact on consistency. It was an easy decision.
Address
P.O. Box 89, Rutherford, CA 94573 707-963-3465 info@abreuvineyards.com
