2008 Abreu Vineyards, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA

The 2008 Howell Mountain continues to exhibit the greatness I predicted for it last year. Deep blue and black fruits intermixed with spring flower, graphite and crushed rock characteristics, a steely structure and good tannin result in a sweet, flawless, opulent wine to drink over the next 20-25 years.Drink 2010 - 2035Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (December 2010)

A wine of myriad contrasts and dimensions, the 2008 Howell Mountain is super-impressive. Layers of intense, dark fruit play off the continuous beams of the Howell Mountain structure in a powerful yet remarkably nuanced and vibrant wine. Hints of rose petals and spice add an exotic flair. There is a linear energy to 2008 that is quite appealing. The blend is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot and 9% Merlot. With the 2011 vintage, Abreu replaced the Howell Mountain name with Las Posadas, the ranch where all the fruit is sourced.Readers will find much to admire in David Abreu’s 2008s. In most vintages, the Abreu wines are very slow to develop, but the 2008s have largely entered an early plateau of maturity where they are quite expressive. Stylistically, I find the 2008s a bit more marked by oak and torrefaction notes than is the norm these days, which may be a reflection of a different mix of coopers during this era. In recent years winemaker Brad Grimes has shifted towards Taransaud barrels, which he feels are especially well suited to the wines. As always, the Abreu wines are mostly co-fermented blends in which grapes are picked and fermented according to ripeness as opposed to strictly by single grape variety. That, along with Brad Grimes’s no nonsense, highly intuitive approach to farming and winemaking, are a few of the many attributes that make these some of the most distinctive wines being made anywhere in the world.Drink 2018 - 2028antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (May 2018)