This label is now known as “Las Posadas.” Deep garnet colored, the 2007 Howell Mountain Proprietary Red offers up profound notions of chargrilled meat, fertile earth, charcuterie, yeast extract and unsmoked cigars over a core of crème de cassis, blueberry pie and chocolate tart. Full-bodied, the palate is full-on decadent with super concentrated black fruit and savory layers supported by a rock-solid frame and just enough harmonizing freshness, finishing with incredible length and depth.

Abreu’s 2007 Howell Mountain (known today as Las Posadas) shows the pedigree of this site in spades. A classic Howell Mountain wine, the 2007 offers fabulous depth and striking inner sweetness, along with remarkable translucence. Graphite, smoke, licorice, plum, lavender, wild flowers and crème de cassis add nuance throughout, but it is the wine’s balance that is truly remarkable. The 2007 was made entirely from the lower section of the vineyard, which was planted in 2002. The 2007 is gorgeous today and will drink well for another decade plus. This is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Merlot.

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (an identical blend) is another massive mountain Cabernet, but with great sweetness of tannin, tremendous texture, and plenty of black raspberry and black currant fruit intermixed with lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, and a distinctive rockiness/minerality. Good acidity and the incredible vibrancy of the fruit give this wine a liveliness and laser-like focus. It should evolve for 25 or more years as well. (Not yet released) This is a terrific place to taste wine with David Abreu and his assistant, Brad Grimes. Finally some new vineyards are coming into production, including the Cappella, which I talked about last year as a tightly spaced vineyard on the back streets of St. Helena, and his 12-acre vineyard on Howell Mountain planted in very red soils. Abreu is, of course, an uncompromising viticulturalist and manages some of the finest vineyards in Napa with his viticultural company. A connoisseur of Bordeaux, he has tried to recapture the complexity of a great Bordeaux wedded to the extraordinary purity and ripeness of fruit that Napa can achieve so frequently. There are approximately 280 cases of the Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch, a wine that comes from the lower hillsides of Spring Mountain, just northwest of St. Helena. Lastly, there are close to 250 cases of what could well be his finest wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon that comes from the Thorevilos Vineyard that Abreu planted in partnership with Ric Forman. This is usually a blend of about 80-85% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest Cabernet Franc and a touch of Petit Verdot. One sees the style of the three vintages of Abreu vividly displayed in the Thorevilos cuvees, Fax (707) 963-5104