2018 Abreu Vineyards, Madrona Ranch, Napa Valley, California, USA

Like the other vintages tasted on this occasion 2016 and 2017), the 2018 Madrona Ranch Proprietary Red is massively concentrated. But what sets it apart from those other great wines is its greater degree of integration and flow. From start to nearly infinite finish, the flavors of ripe cassis, dark chocolate and purple raspberries ease across the full-bodied palate in a seamless, velvety swell of lusciousness, without ever seeming heavy or overdone. Of all the amazing wines I tasted at Abreu this year, this one rises above the others.

Drink 2025 - 2045

Lastly, the 2018 Madrona Ranch is qualitatively in the same ballpark yet is slightly deeper and richer, with bigger tannins and more notable structure. It has plenty of ripe black fruits as well as notes of scorched earth, graphite, tobacco, and crushed stone. As with all of Brad's 2018s, the purity of fruit is truly exceptional, it's perfectly balanced, has a singular character, and the class to drink well today yet cruise for upwards of three decades if stored properly.

Drink 2021 - 2051

The 2018 Madrona Ranch is stunning in its beauty. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing, as is the wine's transparency. Dried flowers, licorice, lavender and leather lend striking fragrant dimension. More than anything else, the 2018 impresses for its textural finesse and overall elegance, qualities that were rarely found in the Madrona Ranch a few years ago, when the wines were much more extracted and tannic.

Brad Grimes showed me an extraordinary range of wines during my most recent visit. Grimes’ career in wine began in the early 2000s, when the prevailing style in Napa Valley was very different from today, so it has been interesting to watch the slow yet deliberate move towards a more refined style here. Grimes doesn’t say much, but he doesn’t need to. The wines say it all.

Abreu fans will want to note that beginning in 2019, Thorevilos is made from a new site not too far away from the original vineyard. It’s a site Abreu planted years ago and is in the process of redeveloping. It will be fascinating where Thorevilos 2.0 goes. Knowing the drive Abreu and Grimes share, I am betting they will look to surpass their previous efforts.

Last, but certainly not least, the 2018 Rothwell Hyde is fabulous and a great choice for readers who choose not to splurge on the more expensive wines in this lineup.

Drink 2026 - 2043