Looking to acquire either 18 Thorevilos or 19 Madrona Ranch, and curious what others in the same position would go with. I’m drawn to the 19 Madrona since we already have several Ecotone wines (001, Aphex, Mysterons) and want to branch out. On the other hand, the 18 Thorevilos seems universally more acclaimed. What would people here pick?
You can’t go wrong with either, but according to the Brad Grimes, David Abreu keeps a special place in his heart for Madrona Ranch. It’s the first vineyard from which David made a wine with his name on the label.
Is this for near-term consumption or long-term cellaring?
I’m just generalizing here and haven’t had either specific wine, but have had earlier vintages of both. These are big wines that benefit from lots of bottle time or decanting (ideally both).
All else being equal I found Madrona more approachable early than Thorevilos. I found Thorevilos to be more tannic, dense and tightly wound.
Also- In general the Napa 18 Cabs are bigger, thicker wines than the 19’s. The 19’s have been, IMO, more approachable early than the 18’s and are more enjoyable to drink right now.
I’d go with the 19 Madrona if I were buying a one-off to drink in the next year and the 18 Thorevilos if cellaring for 10 years; however, any true Berserker knows the correct answer is to buy both!
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Really good notes, thank you both. This’ll be our first Abreu purchase, but we anticipate being buyers of Madrona and, possibly, Thorevilos going forward based on an incredible tasting. The 2023s are going to be magic. Still torn, but leaning towards Madrona for this go - round, especially since we have far fewer wines from western St. Helena.
Imho, you can’t go wrong with either one.
I typically like my Cali Cabs on the young side but I would not consider opening an Abreu for 10-15.
Fwiw, this year I have opened 03 Thorevilos and 04, 06, 07 and 09 Madrona.
All drinking very well with plenty of fruit and life left.
Anyone have a leaning on which would be more Abreu-y? I mean more of an epitomization of what they’re known for…
They are both classicly Abreu.
I would suggest reading Cellar Tracker tasting notes and/or critics’ reviews to help you decide on the one you might prefer.
FYI, going forward, Thorevilos is no longer Ecotone (the new name for the old Thorevilos vineyard) fruit. It is now made from the new “Thorevilos” vineyard, which is the old Arns vineyard.
Any idea what year is the last in which Thorevilos was made with ecotone fruit? Was it 18?
That is my understanding. 2019 was the first vintage from the new “Thorevilos” vineyard.