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SCARECROW VS ABREU
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Video Source: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T9T-Mzyrm4
Today, we’re opening two extraordinary wines with equally extraordinary stories. In this episode of Our Pour Decisions, we’ll take a closer look at two wineries most of you will recognize as makers of some of Napa Valley best Cabernet blends. We’ll dive into the history of the wines and the extraordinary people behind them. To keep things a bit more interesting, B decided to follow the suggestion made by many of our viewers and taste the wines blind. How will tasting these wines blind affect how Stacey and Pops perceive them? And more importantly, since Pops has never had any of these wines, will he be able to figure out which bottle is which? • • Scarecrow History • The Scarecrow story starts back in 1945 when JJ Cohn, and famous Hollywood producer, was convinced by his Rutherford neighbor, John Daniel Jr. owner of the famous Inglenook winery at the time, to plant 80 acres of cabernet sauvignon vines. Inglenook, which at the time was the premier American winemaker, promised to buy the fruit from Cohn. • Now, fast forward to the death of JJ Cohn at the age of 100 in 1996. The Cohn estate has three heirs who cannot afford to buy each other out and cover the estate taxes. So, in 2002, when the property is put up for sale, Bret Lopez, one of the three heirs, teams up with Francis Ford Coppola, who already owns the neighboring Niebaum property, and buys the Cohn estate for more than $30 million in a hotly contested bidding war with among others, Opus One. And thus, in 2002, Niebaum-Coppola gets 60 acres of adjacent vineyard and Bret Lopez gets the Buildings and 25 acres of vineyard, including two acres of “old men” – the priced St.George clone cabernet sauvignon vines planted in 1945. And in the following year, Lopez and his winemaker Celia Welch make the first ever Scarecrow with 100 cabernet sauvignon grown on the property including 1.5 tons of grapes from the “Old Men”. And ever since their first release in 2006 of their 2003 vintage, • Scarecrow has been one of the most sought after Napa valley cabs. • • Abreu History • If the Scarecrow story is like a Hollywood plot full of twists and turns, the story of David Abreu and Abreu wineries seems almost boring in comparison. But don’t be fooled by the lack of drama, the fascinating story behind the Abreu wines is that of a viticulturist craftsman who built Napa Valley’s most successful and admired vineyard management company. It’s also a story of reclusive and fiercely loyal genius who established some of the valley’s greatest vineyards and a winery known for its world-class cabernet blends. • David Abreu, a third generation Napa resident and A St. Helena High graduate. As opposed to many of the famous names in Napa who made their money elsewhere before they bought Napa property, David Abreu grew up in a family of ranching and in a community of growing grapes and making wine. He went to UC Davis and received a degree in Viticulture and Enology. In 1980, David acquired the Madrona Ranch property and started Abreu Management company. Since then, the client list includes Harlan, Colgin, Pahlmeyer, Sloan, Bryant Family, and Screaming Eagle. Yeah, that should say something about David Abreu’s reputation in the industry. 1987 was the first commercially released vintage of Abreu Madrona Ranch and in the mid-90s the wine really started getting critic’s attention. The 1997 vintage, which I happen to have a bottle of in my cellar, was the first Abreu to receive a perfect 100 points from Robert Parker. There’s been numerous since. The current Abreu wines are made by Brad Grimes. Brad was hired by David in 2000 and has no formal education in winemaking. In fact, he is educated as a chef and his attention to detail is legendary. Pop’s has never had the ’01 Madrona or the ’08 Capella. • • What will we think about these wines and will Pop’s and Stacey be able to guess which on is which? • Thank you to the Scarecrow and Abreu wineries for providing images! • Contents: • • 0:00 Introduction • 01:07 Map Video • 01:56 Welcome Stacey! • 03:36 Wine A- 2008 Scarecrow • 06:57 Abreu History • 08:42 2008 Abreu Cappella • 11:42 2001 Abreu Madrona Ranch • 17:26 Wine Reveal!
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