2017 Rothwell Hyde

I can’t say I am especially surprised by the quality of the Abreu 2017s having tasted them several times over the years. If Brad Grimes were not a winemaker, his even-keeled temperament would make him a great surgeon or pilot. Grimes seems completely unfazed by whatever challenges any given vintage presents. He has complete trust in the work his crew does in the vineyard and total conviction about his choices. The Abreu winery is right down the street from the house I rented in 2017, so I stopped by a few times during harvest to see what was going on as fruit came in early in the mornings. It looked like any other year. And that is what consistency is all about. In tasting, the 2017s are bit lighter in structure than most years, which only means the wines will be accessible with less time in bottle.