2017 Abreu Vineyards, Las Posadas, Napa Valley, California, USA

Wow. Blackberries, lead pencil, dried flowers, black olives and purple fruit. Full body and super polished and refined tannins. Creamy and well-defined. So polished. Nutmeg, clove and other dried spices. It goes on for minutes. Superb. 

Drink after 2024

The 2017 Las Posadas Proprietary Red—from a vineyard that sits above the fog line on Howell Mountain—is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Scents of caramel and singed sage join notes of dark chocolate and cassis on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is more silky than velvety, showing impressive elegance for a Cabernet-based wine from a mountain site. Already reasonably accessible, it should drink well for close to two decades.

Drink 2023 - 2040

The 2017 Las Posadas shows just how compelling Howell Mountain can be. The combination of a mountain site and a high percentage of Franc yields a wine of tremendous energy and pure, raw power. Inky dark fruit, gravel, scorched earth and chocolate open first, followed by swaths of Howell Mountain tannin that give the wine its personality and drive. Time in the decanter brings out the wine's imposing depth and textural resonance. This is a gorgeous rendition of Las Posadas.

Drink 2025 - 2042

Lots of blue fruits, bay leaf, cedar, and chocolate notes emerge from the 2017 Las Posadas, which is one of the standouts of the 2017s from this estate. Lots of foresty notes, spice, cedar, and tobacco emerge with time in the glass, and it has a savoury, complex, full-bodied style that builds beautifully with air. Rich and flawlessly balanced, with a great mid-palate, 2017 doesn’t get much better.