The 2010 Cappella, ( 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Merlot) reveals a dense purple color, and even greater aromatic and flavor dimensions than the 2009. Notes of sweet creme de cassis,... Read More
Dark and very reserved up front, with an espresso cream frame holding a dense core of steeped fig and black currant paste flavors in check for now. Slowly reveals roasted alder and smoldering tobacco notes at the end while the... Read More
The 2009 Proprietary Red Howell Mountain wraps around the palate with masses of blue and black fruit, smoke, tar, incense and licorice. A dense, resonant wine, the 2009 stands out for its extraordinarily vivid fruit and equally... Read More
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... Read More
The 2002 Madrona Ranch possesses an opaque blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary, enveloping, massive aromatic profile consisting of spring flowers, charcoal, lead pencil shavings, blueberries, raspberries and blackberry... Read More
The 2007 Madrona Ranch is a compelling, creamy-styled red offering an assortment of aromas, including white chocolate, graphite, forest floor, blackberries, cassis and blueberries. Pure, multilayered and super-rich, without any... Read More
The 2008 Madrona Ranch opens with an incredibly expressive bouquet. Espresso, mocha and licorice meld into dark red fruit and sweet exotic spices in this superb wine. The 2008 is an extraordinarily polished, refined wine for the... Read More
Initially reviewed in December, 2010, the 2009 Madrona Ranch has turned out to be spectacular. Lots of mulberry, blackberry, cassis, roasted coffee, chocolate and toast aromas are all present in the extremely perfumed bouquet.... Read More
The single-vineyard offering from Thorevilos is usually a blend of 80-85% Cabernet Sauvignon with a good dosage of Cabernet Franc added to finish out the wine, and occasionally a touch of Petit Verdot. This pure, steep hillside... Read More
The 2005 Thorevilos comes close to perfection, a beautifully ripe, weighty, but with a European, almost Bordeaux-like structural profile. The sensational nose of acacia flowers intermixed with blueberry liqueur, blackberries,... Read More
The 2006 Thorevilos exhibits an extraordinary floral aroma backed up by scents of blueberries, blackberries, espresso roast, and an incredible liqueur of rocks-like component. The compelling floweriness, blue and black fruits,... Read More
The 2007 Thorevilos is monumental, and stands out as one of the most singular and greatest Napa red wines I have ever tasted. An expansive fragrance of subtle barbecue smoke intermixed with graphite, blueberries, espresso, white... Read More
As outstanding as all the Abreu wines are, if I had to choose one that stands apart from the others it would be Thorevilos. The 2008 Thorevilos is the most complete and deeply satisfying of Abreu's 2008s because the balance... Read More
Once again, the 2012 Thorevilos struts its enormous potential. A deep purple color is accompanied by wonderfully sweet blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with notes of licorice, spring flowers and forest floor.... Read More
Only produced in top vintages (this is the first since 2012), the 2015 Cornas Vieilles Fontaines comes from 80-year-old vines within the La Fontaine lieu-dit. It's a tough wine to evaluate at this stage, as it's quite... Read More
The 2016 Mourvèdre is composed of 89% Mourvedre, 9% Syrah and 2% Viognier coming from the Alta Mesa Vineyard in Santa Barbara County and Larner Vineyard in Ballard Canyon. Seventy percent whole cluster was employed, and the wine... Read More
The second release from Andremily's Jim Binns, the No 2 is an utterly profound blend of 85% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre and 4% Viognier that saw a touch of whole cluster fermentation and 23 months in 62% new French oak barrels. Its... Read More
The second release from Andremily's Jim Binns, the No 2 is an utterly profound blend of 85% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre and 4% Viognier that saw a touch of whole cluster fermentation and 23 months in 62% new French oak barrels. Its... Read More
The 2015 No 4 is composed of 90% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre and 6% Viognier and saw 35% whole cluster, while spending around 22 months in French oak (70% new). Sporting a very deep purple-black color, it reveals vibrant black currants,... Read More
Blended of 91% Syrah, 6% Mourvedre and 3% Viognier and using 40% whole cluster, the Andremily 2016 No. 5 is sourced from White Hawk, Larner, Harrison-Clarke, Watch Hill and Alta Mesa Vineyards. It spent 22 months in French oak... Read More
Composed of 92% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 3% Viognier, using 40% whole cluster, the Andremily 2017 No. 6 is sourced from White Hawk, Larner, Harrison-Clarke, Watch Hill and Alta Mesa Vineyards. To be bottled mid-August 2019, it... Read More
The 2019 No. 8 is a blend of 88% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre and 3% Viognier, made with 45% whole clusters. Fruit comes from several vineyards including White Hawk, Larner, Harrison-Clarke and Alta Mesa. It was matured for 22 months in... Read More
I had this wine from my cellar, as well as at a tasting in Zurich in February of 2015. It is one of the handful of 2003s I bought from the Right Bank of Bordeaux in this vintage. Angelus really nailed the vintage, and has produced... Read More
This 7,000 case blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc will rival or perhaps eclipse vintages such as 2000, 1998, 1990, and 1989. Its dense purple color is followed by an extraordinary perfume of charcoal, espresso roast,... Read More
The 2015 Angelus is a blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Franc, picked from 22 September finishing on 14 October. "We found a nice homogeneity with the Merlot lots," I was told when I visited. "The old Cabernet Franc was very... Read More