2010 Rothwell Hyde

David Abreu's wines remain some of the most compelling expressions of Napa Valley terroir readers will come across. Meticulous viticulture is at the heart of everything that happens at Abreu. One visit through any of Abreu's four vineyards is enough to see and understand that. But in the winery, things are much more stripped down. Winemaker Brad Grimes is driven more by intuition than anything else, and it is that spirit which gives these wines a human feel that is sometimes lacking in Napa Valley. As always, Grimes vinifies by pick dates, which means almost all of the lots are co-fermentations, an unusual approach, but one that is gaining more traction in the valley. The best parallel I can draw for the Abreu wines comes from the world of music. Grimes has both prodigious natural talent and an indomitable work ethic. When those two forces collide the results can be stratospheric, as is often the case here. The 2011s, 2012s and 2013s are all fabulous. I did note a number of wines, especially some of the 2011s, did not show as well from bottle as they did from barrel, most likely the result of bottle shock, which is not entirely surprising given how long these wines need in bottle to blossom.