Abreu Madrona Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 vs Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, California, USA 2023

Abreu Madrona Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Notes of sweet black cherries, elderflower, mint, licorice, oak and smoke with a hint of tobacco. Big, bold and beautiful. If Abreu had a core, it is undoubtedly the Madrona Ranch. It was the first property David fell for, and developed, back in the 1980s. The canyons and curves that snake through the site, the soils that range from red Aiken to white tufa to dark clay and rocks—it’s a magical site. Harvest picks are meticulous, often spanning weeks, but the diversity makes for incredible complexity, and plenty of blending options. Madrona is a working ranch too. In fact, livestock have laid claim to more than their share of real estate. Cattle, goats, pigs, chickens—even honeybees, which live in one of the old barns on the property. “We tend the animals and leave the bees alone,” says David. “We do collect the honey though. We consider it fair rent.”