2011 Madrona Ranch

The 2011 Madrona Ranch is another impressive wine in this range from David Abreu and Brad Grimes. It shows the typical Madrona Ranch profile of dried herbs, leather, tobacco, cedar and earthiness, with terrific fruit density and impeccable balance. This gorgeous St. Helena Cabernet will drink well for another 10-15 years. It's in great shape today. All the Madrona Ranch signatures are there, just with less volume than is typically the case. (AG)

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.

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. Drink it over the next 15+ years.