Abreu Vineyards Tilting Rock Red Blend Napa Valley 2018

Born in Napa and into a third-generation ranching family, David Abreu has had a front-row seat to our valley’s vast transformation since the 1950s.? His free-range childhood included dirt bike rides up and over Howell Mountain, traveling between his family’s Rutherford and Chiles Valley ranches, fishing and foraging along the banks of the Napa River, and exploring the west side of Oakville as he tagged along on his dad’s construction projects.? David witnessed the exceptional variety of soils and microclimates Napa offers before vineyards and wineries filled the landscapes.? His understanding of farming vineyards in Napa Valley is unparalleled, mainly due to the “insider knowledge” that comes second-hand with decades of hands-on time in the soils.

After serving two years in the military, where he earned a deep appreciation for discipline and order, David returned to Napa Valley in 1970.? From there, he worked various farming jobs through his family connections at Inglenook, Honig, and Caymus.? In the mid-1970s, Dick Grace approached David, needing help with his one-acre vineyard. At the same time, the owner of a small vineyard, Madrona Ranch, needed to rehabilitate her diseased vines.? His work on these two properties started his vineyard management company, and from there, he was off to the races.? David credits one moment in his career with luck: meeting Bill Harlan.? Bill’s demeanor reminded him of the leadership he most admired while in the military, and the two collaborated to plant Harlan’s Oakville vineyard.? Word of mouth spread, and soon, the Staglins and the Araujos recruited David to develop their properties.? Abreu vineyard management company grew through the 80s and into the 90s while David skillfully battled the phylloxera plague with other farmers.? He re-planted tens of thousands of new acres and adapted his approach to vineyard design with narrower spacing, different pruning techniques, and considering temperature ranges and sun when determining row orientation.? David purchased his first property in the early 2000s, Las Posadas Vineyard, which was quickly followed by his purchase of Capella.? His next purchase didn’t come until 2019 for Thorevilos and then Madrona Ranch in 2021 (which he had sharecropped from the family for over 40 years.)

Abreu stands out as a vineyard manager because of his reputation for informed, articulate, and terroir-driven planning and oversight.? Unlike most of his contemporaries, David employs his team year-round, and each of his own vineyards has a specific team assigned to work solely with that site.? Each crew knows their vines intimately and participates in every aspect of care, from pruning all the way to the sorting table.? While Abreu Vineyards has made wine since the late 1980s, it was David as a one-person show working with fruit from Madrona Ranch, borrowing tanks and space in other wineries.? He passed the winemaking baton to chef-turned-winemaker Brad Grimes in 2000, and the two have collaborated ever since.? Abreu Vineyards is most notably recognized for its single-vineyard blends highlighting David’s personal properties; however, in 2017, they introduced Tilting Rock, a red blend sourced from their Thorevilos and Las Posadas sites.

Tilting Rock exhibits the verve and intensity of fruit from St. Helena’s eastern slopes, where Thorevilos and Las Posadas reside in otherwise relatively rugged landscapes.? In 2018, three barrels worth of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Cabernet Franc, and 12% Petit Verdot co-fermented, allowing the sites to meld and transform, creating a whole greater than the sum of its parts.? Unlike others in its weight class, Tilting Rock is a dynamic wine with almost equal parts Cab Sauv and Cab Franc.? The textbook Cabernet Sauvignon showcases the intensity and power we know to be true of Howell Mountain, with the Franc bringing lighter, higher-toned red fruits and the Petit Verdot lending dark, brooding spice and amplifying the lush palate.