2010 Madrona Ranch

I wish I had taken some pictures or shot a video when I stopped by at Abreu during the 2011 harvest. Unfortunately words will have to do. After a brutal growing season in which yields in the vineyards were reduced by poor flowering, cold weather, rain and botrytis, the work done on the sorting table was at least as Draconian. The amount of less than perfect berries and other stuff that ended up in the trash was far more than what went into the crushed, and winemaker Brad Grimes isn't afraid of a jack or two going into the tanks. Proprietor David Abreu and Grimes have made some of the greatest wines of the year. The 2010s, which I tasted from bottle are massively shut down today, but show the potential I sensed from barrel. Today, the 2012s are obviously very young, but they will have a hard time matching the 2010s and the best of the 2011s. I have included the blends for all of the wines, but long-time Abreu fans know the approach to winemaking here involves considerable co-fermentation, so the blends are more the result of decisions in the field on when and what to harvest rather than blending decisions, as they are pretty much everywhere else in the valley with perhaps a handful of exceptions. Brad Grimes explains it all in this short video we shot at the winery this past spring.

Brad Grimes has done a fabulous job with these wines, each of which is loaded with personality and character. One of the widely acknowledged criteria for separating the great estates from the merely excellent is the quality of the wines in lesser years. In 2011 Grimes shows he is at the top of his game. Selection at the sorting table was Draconian, something I saw for myself one early morning as fruit was coming in towards the end of the harvest.

I stopped by Abreu twice this fall. The first time I tasted the 2008s, 2009s and 2010s. The second time I watched the work on the sorting table and tasted a few 2011s from tank. Both tastings left a deep impression. Brad Grimes is one of the most brilliant winemakers in Napa Valley. He seems guided more by a sense of intuition married to experience rather than the more technical approach that is quite common throughout the valley. Co-fermentations are typical, and Grimes isn't going to lose any sleep if a few jack stems make it into the fermentation tanks. The winery itself is as immaculate as it could possibly be. Simply put, these are some of the most beautiful wines being made in Napa Valley today. The 2008s are big and massively tannic, while the 2009s are much more sexy and silky. The 2010s combine intense, rich fruit and huge tannins. All three vintages are exceptional, but my preference is for 2009 and 2010. Incidentally, two of the greatest wines I tasted this year were the 2001 Madrona Ranch and Thorevilos, both of which remain infants.