Abreu Vineyard Madrona Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 1995

The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch is a strikingly superb Cabernet Sauvignon. Although it includes 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot in the blend, I would never have guessed that. Aged in 100% new Taransaud barrels (as are all Abreu's wines), this wine boasts an opaque purple color, in addition to a fabulous bouquet of blueberries, blackberries, cassis, licorice, minerals, and smoky, toasty oak. The wine's aromatics soar from the glass, and in the mouth, the bouquet's promise is fulfilled. A thick, juicy, black fruit character comes across in cascades of fruit, glycerin, and extract. All of this has been buttressed by sweet tannin and good acidity. A voluptuously-textured, blockbuster, yet remarkably harmonious wine, it is one of the finest efforts of the vintage. Robert Parker