If Abreu has a core, it is undoubtedly Madrona Ranch. It was the first property David fell for, and developed, back in the 1980s. The canyons and curves that snake through the site, the soils that range from red Aiken to white tufa to dark clay and rocks—it’s a magical site. Harvest picks are meticulous, often spanning weeks, but the diversity makes for incredible complexity, and plenty of blending options. Madrona is a working ranch too. In fact, livestock have laid claim to more than their share of real estate. Cattle, goats, pigs, chickens—even honeybees, which live in one of the old barns on the property. “We tend the animals and leave the bees alone,” says David. “We do collect the honey though. We consider it fair rent.”

95 points Wine Advocate

 From the back hills of St. Helena, in the direction of Spring Mountain, comes Abreu’s first single-vineyard offering from vineyards planted in 1982, the Madrona Ranch. This cuvée usually contains at least 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and one of the highest percentages of Cabernet Franc, ranging from 33% to 45%. Tiny quantities of Petit Verdot and Merlot are also added, depending on how they fared in any given vintage. Last year I mentioned that the 2011 Proprietary Red Madrona Ranch was one of the rare Abreu wines that showed a little herbaceousness, but that has completely aged out. There is now a forest floor intensity to this full-bodied, opaque purple-colored 2011. After spending 26 months in 100% new oak, it exhibits great fruit, concentration and intensity. The fact that Abreu and Grimes do malolactic in their new oak barrels seems to integrate the wood better than at many wineries. It is certainly a key to understanding the wine’s complexity. It displays lots of Christmas fruitcake, coffee, chocolate and spice box notes, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and sweet tannin. (RP)  (10/2014)

95 points Vinous

 Abreu’s 2011 Madrona Ranch possesses remarkable textural depth and richness, especially for the year. Rich, layered and super-expressive, the 2011 graces the palate with a compelling interplay of bright fruit, expressive aromatics and lovely breadth. New leather, crushed flowers and mint add nuance on the close. (AG)  (12/2014)

When David purchased this Howell Mountain property in 2000 it came with an unexpected perk: first growth redwood stakes dating back over a century. Relics of an earlier era of agriculture. “When the college owned this site they’d burn all the underbrush, including the stakes, to keep it clean. When I came in we found them and set them all aside,” he says. At about 2000 feet elevation, Las Posadas sits above the fog line, surrounded by a protected forest of fir and pine. Red Aiken soils are layered over white tufa, and the rocks that littered the site before it was planted now form walls defining the property. The redwood stakes—collected, stacked, preserved—await their next life.

WA/RP 95
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Las Posadas Proprietary Red opens with tons of wild blueberry, mulberries and cassis notes over garrigue, sage, baking spices and dusty soil plus touches of Black Forest cake and cedar. The rich, full-bodied palate is rugged, muscular, lively and concentrated with firm, grainy tannins, finishing very long and earthy.

Thorevilos was one of David’s favorite haunts as a child. There were no vines then. Just pine trees, redwoods, an old olive grove. And a rusted hog wire hanging from a tree—“Hook Man” in Abreu family lore. These days it’s the dirt that engrosses him. White tufa that turns to fine powder when you grind it beneath your foot. Tannish soil peppered with orange-brown pebbles. Streaks of dry, red earth. Sitting 800 feet above the valley floor, wedged between the St. Helena and Howell Mountain AVAs, Thorevilos doesn’t belong to any sub-appellation. “It’s an outlier,” David says. When the AVA boundaries were being determined, he could have argued to have it included. “But it wouldn’t have made any difference to the vineyard. Or the wine.”

Sitting 800 feet above the valley floor, wedged between the St. Helena and Howell Mountain AVAs, Thorevilos doesn’t belong to any sub-appellation. “It’s an outlier,” David says. When the AVA boundaries were being determined, he could have argued to have it included. “But it wouldn’t have made any difference to the vineyard. Or the wine.”

2016 AMUSE BOUCHE NAPA VALLEY RED BLEND

Twenty years ago, Jim Laube of the Wine Spectator asked Heidi where our vineyard holdings for Amuse Bouche Winery were located. Heidi replied, “I would have to kill you if I told you!” A long silence ensued at our lunch table. This slightly awkward, tongue-in-cheek moment from our wine history is the inspiration for our Vintage 2016 artwork. Heidi Barrett herself painted “A Secret Vineyard,” a lovely image that perhaps may give further guidance to Mr. Laube. Heidi has been painting as long as she has been making wine, and we are thrilled to showcase both of her amazing talents in and on the bottle with our Amuse Bouche 2016. The lithographs are gorgeous, expertly produced on Rives paper by our Paris atelier using a 19th- century press. Each one is hand signed and numbered by Heidi herself.

THE WINE

Amuse Bouche 2016, made in the Pomerol style, is a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc from our vineyards on Rutherford’s eastern hillside in Napa Valley (hint, hint). We managed to produce 750 cases; and we believe this vintage will be remembered as one of Napa’s best.

2010 VINTAGE

95 Points
“The 2010 Au Sommet seems to bring together the best of qualities of 2008 and 2009. It has the fruit and depth of the former and the silkiness of the latter. Juicy dark cherries, plums, smoke, incense and tobacco are some of the aromas and flavors that take shape as this powerful, intense wine shows off its considerable pedigree. Hints of black olives, grilled herbs and licorice add complexity on the finish. This is a gorgeous wine in every way. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2030.”
—Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, December 2012 #204

92 Points
“Features a tight mix of currant, blackberry, cedar and loamy earth notes. This is dense, spicy and firmly tannic, with flavors that gain depth and expand on the finish. Promises to improve with age. Drink now through 2026.”
—Wine Advocate, Febraury 2014

93 Points
“The 2010 Au Sommet is bright, saturated red-ruby. Pure, aromatic aromas of currant, espresso and minerals complemented by mint and licorice nuances. Chewy, deep and mouth-coating, with noteworthy energy to its subtly expanding flavors of brambly mountain berries and spices. Finishes broad and long with ripe tannins nicely supported by the wine’s concentration of fruit. Drinkable now.”
—Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, May 2013

BLANKIET ESTATE MYTHICVS, PARADISE HILLS VINEYARD

A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon selection from the best lots. The darkest of all our wines. Extraordinarily deep with powerful yet refined tannins. A wine for extended cellaring.

“The goal to produce world-class wines at Blankiet Estate has been accomplished, combining the extraordinary power of the site with unbelievable elegance and definition”
– Robert M. Parker

Our Bordeaux Medoc blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This wine is sheer power in a silk glove.

(koo dah foo drah) – The moment when “lightning strikes” or something unforgettable occurs that you want to capture forever.

Intense aromatics of fresh dark berries and deep, complex tannins comingle with melted chocolate and cassis to create a Bordeaux-esque palate profile. This wine will age extremely well.

The Kapcsándy (pronounced “Cup-chon-dy”) story is a unique amalgam of old-world values and American ingenuity, combining classic European grand cru-style with modern state-of-the-art technology.  Most of all, it’s the story of a family that’s simply passionate about wine.

Lou Kapcsándy emigrated to the U.S. from his native Hungary in 1956, pursuing a successful career in chemical engineering and manufacturing, first in the San Francisco Bay Area then in Seattle.  Through colleagues in the wine business, he began sourcing exceptional European wines for his cellar, while simultaneously mentoring an emergent group of local entrepreneurs who would become early icons of Washington State’s wine industry.

The 2009 Endre offers up hints of sage, rosemary, wild cherries and tobacco, all supported by vibrant yet-well-integrated tannins. Deceptively medium in body, the 2009 boasts considerable structure and intensity to match its highly appealing mid-weight personality. The cold, late-ripening harvest produced stunning wines endowed with tons of energy and sheer power.

Antonio Galloni 92pts

*This is a sweet wine*

This debut release of their Port-Style dessert wine (fortified with grape brandy) is produced from 100% Merlot. It possesses intense aromas of roasted figs, violets, fennel, raspberries and freshly baked bread, leading to a sumptuous mouthfeel dominated by red and black fruits, chocolate and a hint of sweet spice.

Martha McClellan-Levy, the wine consultant for Blankiet and Sloan, and Bob Levy, longtime winemaker at Harlan Estate, make up the husband and wife team behind this extraordinary vineyard designed to produce about 400 cases of a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Planted on the steep volcanic soils of Diamond Mountain at 500-600 foot elevation, with 2,900 vines per acre, this vineyard is planted as tightly as one is likely to find in Napa Valley.

Winemaker notes
Uncompromising viticultural practices and meticulously detailed vinification rewarded us with a wine of great concentration and ripeness. The round supple tannin sin the 2005 Levy & McClellan are the result of the cool growing conditions and the extended ripening. As the wine develops, the expression of the site where it is grown continues to come to the forefront. Accentuated by the low yield in a year known for more generosity, combined with 26 months in barrel, the result is a profoundly concentrated, supple and full-bodied wine.

99 pts CWA (California wine advisor) 
It doesn’t get any better than 2005 Levy & McClellan Cabernet Sauvignon, an utterly vivid, breathtaking wine, the 2005 is built like a thoroughbred with perfect balance and overall sense of harmony ready to deliver extreme pleasure tonight or anytime over the next ten years. The opaque purple/onyx color is followed by intense, soaring aromas of crème de cassis, in addition to blueberry, melted chocolate and hints of eucalyptus. Representing the essence of cassis liqueur intermixed with blackberries, vanillin, exotic spices, and roasted coffee, this Cabernet is cashmere-like in quality and texture. The mesmerizing finish includes notes of graham cracker as well as Toblerone that dazzles the palate with finesse for a full minute. Wow!

MAY-BRITT & DENIS MALBEC, formerly of Château Latour, have created the wines of Notre Vin to honor their favorite California terroirs. Nearly a decade of consulting with Napa and Sonoma Valleys’ finest wineries has given this team an in-depth understanding of the region’s diverse vineyards and microclimates. They have carefully selected vineyards in the Napa Valley, including Howell Mountain, and along the Sonoma Coast that yield grapes of concentration and balance, and they interpret this fruit through a legacy of Bordeaux winemaking experience that spans generations.

Notre Vin, which means “our wine” in French, produces a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Howell Mountain foothills, a Rosé from Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Burgundian-style Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. All wines are crafted in very limited quantities.

2007 tasting notes 
This dark garnet Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2007 vintage exhibits a fabulous nose of crushed rock, graphite and cedar, layers of sweet black and blue fruits intermixed with cocoa powder, walnut, fresh almonds and scents of freshly roasted coffee. In the mouth this wine shows concentration, great richness and volume with a sense of freshness and energy together with that noble sweetness of tannin with stunning purity as well as a layered sensual finish. The aftertaste leaves you with delicious flavors of blood orange and tangerine. When young, our 2007 Howell Mountain was massively tannic and just recently started to open up. It is a beauty that can be enjoyed now, particularly with decanting, however it will benefit from more time in the cellar.

With a heady and compelling mix of ultra-ripe red and black fruit layered with notes of smoked herbs and exotic spices, the full-throttle 2013 Schrader T6 is the most provocative wine in our portfolio. The layers of black fruit continue to dance with the spice on the palate and lead to an incredibly pleasurable mouthfeel with a finish that lasts a lifetime. A perennial stunner, in the words of winemaker Thomas Brown, “The Schrader T6 is all about everything in abundance and everything in perfect balance.”

• Tasting Notes

  With a heady and compelling mix of ultra-ripe red and black fruit layered with notes of smoked herbs and exotic spices, the full-throttle 2013 Schrader T6 is the most provocative wine in our portfolio. The layers of black fruit continue to dance with the spice on the palate and lead to an incredibly pleasurable mouthfeel with a finish that lasts a lifetime. A perennial stunner, in the words of winemaker Thomas Brown, “The Schrader T6 is all about everything in abundance and everything in perfect balance.”

• Accolades

  98 Pts. “The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon T6, which is clone 6, offers more barbecue smoke, roasted meats and oodles of creme de cassis and blackberry. It is rich, full-bodied, intense, and stunningly pure and well-balanced. This is another tour de force from the Schraders and Thomas Rivers Brown. It should drink well for 25-30 years as well.”
  — Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

  96 Pts. “Very exotic aromas of tobacco leaf, Thai green chili, black currant and blueberry. Full body, chewy and powerful tannins. Fresh and clean. Muscular and powerful. Better in 2020 when it comes together.”
  — James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com