Decanted; moderate sediment. Beautiful red-orange dark brick with orange rim. Lovely aged floral leather cigar box peat nose. Not perfectly integrated (acidity thin through the light body to the present tannin) but still very nice. 90 if rating.
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A reminder of why I like Freemark Abbey wines. Though they are not aging nearly as well as I wish, and my older vintages have tended to disappoint, there was a refreshing medium plum and leather essence to this wine, with a very pleasant almost floral herbaceousness, that we thoroughly enjoyable.
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Clean ruby color. Bouquet is full of oak, cherries and other red fruit. Medium bodied, fully mature; not the most concentrated wine but very silky texture. I don't think this will be one of the longest lived wines but drinking very nicely right now.
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Spectacular mature Napa cab! Nose full of ripe dark fruit and oak. Full mouth feel, tart tannins, and lovely full ripe dark berries on the palate, including bing cherries and blackberries. Long finish extends the lovely taste and mouth feel.
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Color showing subtle signs of age, but still mostly ruby red. Moderately aromatic, rich smokey dark fruit notes. The palate is relatively smooth, excellent fruit character with good use of oak. The Rutherford dust note is easy to pick up and the finish is long with currant the primary lingering flavor. The tannins are smooth and you can sense the blue fruit of the merlot poking through to add a nice velvety feel in the mouth.
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Opens with oak, black cherry and currants; alcohol and black cheery mid-palate; finishes with loamy, rutherford cab sauv flavors; has a nice body to it. Not fancy, but pleasing, well made CA cab sauv in a traditional style.
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Delicious smooth dark fruit with tannins that perfectly integrate with the wine. Think this is drinking at peak right now with a rich cigar like nose and terrific ripe fruit.
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14.1% ABV. Mostly opaque dark garnet in the glass. Sweet sandalwood-like nose with nuances of herb and cigar tobacco. Medium-full bodied with black currant fruit and some dusty notes that seem to take on more of a light bell pepper with sniffing. Somewhat tangy finish. This bottle spent a couple years in an office cabinet, but doesn't really seem to be showing any obvious ill effects.
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Excellent, ripe fruit up front finishing with balanced tannins. Perfect pairing with slow-grilled grassfed tri-tip. Still delicious the next evening, and really drinking well now (July, 2010).
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A bit tight upon opening the bottle but after an hour this opened up nicely. Some earthy scents with dark fruit and spice on the nose. Extremely well balanced on the palate with maintained acidity and smooth tannins. Dark fruit with Rutherford Dust predominate. Probably has a few years left in it to develop those wonderful secondary cabernet characteristics. Will wait 2-3 years to open the next bottle.
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Ruby red and robust with a firm oak backbone. I get eucalyptus, olives, black cherry and classic rutherford dust. A nice wine drinking pretty well right now.
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Wine is in a bit of flux at this point.Initially,(20 minute decant) the fun and interesting nose of smoked meat, spice, cedar and funky cassis seemed out of place as the wine disappointed in the mouth and finished pretty tart and out of balance. Over then next hour, the wine mellowed and became much more interesting with lots of secondary flavors popping up (eucalyptus, anise, more beautiful cedar). Tannins were present and a bit jagged on the finish, so I think if you gave this wine 5 years, you'd really have something. Medium bodied. Paid about $100 in the restaurant. Paired fine with my ribeye, but didn't make the food better if you know what I mean.
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Drinking superbly on this evening with boneless ribeye steaks! A dark, though not opaque, ruby in color, leaning toward purple. Not glass-staining as with higher-end Aussie shiraz, for example. A nose of dark cherry and both red and black currant, with the hint of bell pepper bjohnson350 notes below. Initially a tiny bit tight, with minimal aromaticity. After 30 minutes of breathing, however, huge improvement! Very aromatic on the palate, nearly bringing tears to one's eyes. Dark cherries and acidic currant flavors, with exceptionally well-integrated tannins and a long finish. A superb match for our steaks, and not a hint of being over-the-hill. Very glad to have 1 more bottle remaining. Yes, Laube totally misjudged this one!
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The nose has dark fruits,ceder and floral scents. Very nice and was hinting toward old world. Decanted for 30 minutes and the dark fruits started to come out much more than when we first opened. A medium ruby red in color and looking like dark cherries. The palate was dark fruits all the way and hinting of pipe tobacco. This wine has depth and is on the darker side all the way. Also some plumb and green pepper with the earthiness. The tannins were well balanced. Nice long finish however the finish got a hair to dark for me and the tobacco really lingered and overtook the palate. Great wine, big cab and this wine will continue to age nicely. Define try.
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Tasted blind with 3 other Napa Valley Cabs and this one was the #2 of the night behind the 1999 Chateau Montelena. When reviewing my tasting notes from the blind tasting they were remarkably similar to my previous notes. Great balance, wonderfully smooth tannins, nice acidity and a rather complex palate. (see note from 3/28/09 for the details as they were virtually identical). I still think that Laube from Wine Spectator, who gave this an 85 back in November of 2006, would have to view this wine much differently today. 50+5+12+17+8=92 pts.
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First experience with this producer. Plush, yet elegant Cali cab. Plummy fruits with licorice and cedar notes on finish. Tannins nearly fully integrated. Drinking well on day 2. Decent QPR- many Cali Cabs with this quality cost twice as much.
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This needs a few more years in the bottle to get close to the 1994 bosche'. Still very enjoyable with rib eye steak and roasted sweet potatoes. Next bottle will get 1 hour plus to decante before I judge it.
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Huge aromas of earth, Bordeaux funk, dark fruits and floral scents when it was going into the decanter. Decanted for 3 hours. A medium ruby red in color and the 7 years in bottle have started to reveal itself with just a subtle amber hue on the edge. 3 hours later the nose on this is still beautiful with some dust, herbs, dark cherries, dark berries and some more floral elements. On the palate is full of dark fruits - really bursting dark fruits - black cherry, currant, some cassis, plum, sage and earthiness. Good acidity with well integrated tannins. On the medium to long finish it is silky smooth with some cedar and tobacco on the back end with some more dark fruit. This wine is ageing gracefully and has a very elegant quality to it. Freemark Abbey continues to pick the fruit when it is not as ripe as most Napa Valley wineries do today. They have resisted the temptation to pick later to get big fruit bombs when they are young and thus they make a really lovely cabernet sauvignon that ages gracefully and becomes fruit forward as the tannins recede with age. James Laube gave this 85 back in November of 06. I think he would think differently about this wine today. It has aged so well and I believe it will go another 5 years before it runs it course. 50+5+13+17+8=93
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A little pricey for what it is. But it is good, has great balance and style of a lighter bodied california cab. Subtle nuances in the nose were appreciated but nothing about this was over the top.
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Drank from magnum at a Chinese restaurant and although it didn't go with everything, the wine itself was a hit with everyone! Needless to say, there was none left.
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4/19/2017 - Babik Likes this wine:
Decanted; moderate sediment. Beautiful red-orange dark brick with orange rim. Lovely aged floral leather cigar box peat nose. Not perfectly integrated (acidity thin through the light body to the present tannin) but still very nice. 90 if rating.
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12/7/2014 - wehouck Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely, mature.
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9/8/2014 - Ajnate wrote:
A reminder of why I like Freemark Abbey wines. Though they are not aging nearly as well as I wish, and my older vintages have tended to disappoint, there was a refreshing medium plum and leather essence to this wine, with a very pleasant almost floral herbaceousness, that we thoroughly enjoyable.
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12/24/2012 - sdezutti wrote: 92 Points
Clean ruby color. Bouquet is full of oak, cherries and other red fruit. Medium bodied, fully mature; not the most concentrated wine but very silky texture. I don't think this will be one of the longest lived wines but drinking very nicely right now.
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9/1/2012 - wehouck wrote: 94 Points
Spectacular mature Napa cab! Nose full of ripe dark fruit and oak. Full mouth feel, tart tannins, and lovely full ripe dark berries on the palate, including bing cherries and blackberries. Long finish extends the lovely taste and mouth feel.
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4/14/2012 - meatbomb013 wrote: 91 Points
Last bottle in the cellar. Probably at or just past peak. Would not wait much longer to drink any remaining.
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3/5/2012 - rallylizard wrote: 91 Points
Color showing subtle signs of age, but still mostly ruby red. Moderately aromatic, rich smokey dark fruit notes. The palate is relatively smooth, excellent fruit character with good use of oak. The Rutherford dust note is easy to pick up and the finish is long with currant the primary lingering flavor. The tannins are smooth and you can sense the blue fruit of the merlot poking through to add a nice velvety feel in the mouth.
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4/30/2011 - jmckee99 wrote: 91 Points
Excellent
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4/3/2011 - winejnky wrote: 90 Points
Opens with oak, black cherry and currants; alcohol and black cheery mid-palate; finishes with loamy, rutherford cab sauv flavors; has a nice body to it. Not fancy, but pleasing, well made CA cab sauv in a traditional style.
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3/31/2011 - Schiffy wrote: 93 Points
Delicious smooth dark fruit with tannins that perfectly integrate with the wine. Think this is drinking at peak right now with a rich cigar like nose and terrific ripe fruit.
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1/6/2011 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
14.1% ABV. Mostly opaque dark garnet in the glass. Sweet sandalwood-like nose with nuances of herb and cigar tobacco. Medium-full bodied with black currant fruit and some dusty notes that seem to take on more of a light bell pepper with sniffing. Somewhat tangy finish. This bottle spent a couple years in an office cabinet, but doesn't really seem to be showing any obvious ill effects.
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7/13/2010 - DadsWine wrote: 92 Points
Excellent, ripe fruit up front finishing with balanced tannins. Perfect pairing with slow-grilled grassfed tri-tip. Still delicious the next evening, and really drinking well now (July, 2010).
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6/3/2010 - meatbomb013 wrote: 91 Points
A bit tight upon opening the bottle but after an hour this opened up nicely. Some earthy scents with dark fruit and spice on the nose. Extremely well balanced on the palate with maintained acidity and smooth tannins. Dark fruit with Rutherford Dust predominate. Probably has a few years left in it to develop those wonderful secondary cabernet characteristics. Will wait 2-3 years to open the next bottle.
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3/20/2010 - winejnky wrote: 91 Points
Ruby red and robust with a firm oak backbone. I get eucalyptus, olives, black cherry and classic rutherford dust. A nice wine drinking pretty well right now.
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2/5/2010 - Chrisinroch wrote: 90 Points
Wine is in a bit of flux at this point.Initially,(20 minute decant) the fun and interesting nose of smoked meat, spice, cedar and funky cassis seemed out of place as the wine disappointed in the mouth and finished pretty tart and out of balance. Over then next hour, the wine mellowed and became much more interesting with lots of secondary flavors popping up (eucalyptus, anise, more beautiful cedar). Tannins were present and a bit jagged on the finish, so I think if you gave this wine 5 years, you'd really have something. Medium bodied. Paid about $100 in the restaurant. Paired fine with my ribeye, but didn't make the food better if you know what I mean.
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1/20/2010 - wicozani wrote: 93 Points
Drinking superbly on this evening with boneless ribeye steaks! A dark, though not opaque, ruby in color, leaning toward purple. Not glass-staining as with higher-end Aussie shiraz, for example. A nose of dark cherry and both red and black currant, with the hint of bell pepper bjohnson350 notes below. Initially a tiny bit tight, with minimal aromaticity. After 30 minutes of breathing, however, huge improvement! Very aromatic on the palate, nearly bringing tears to one's eyes. Dark cherries and acidic currant flavors, with exceptionally well-integrated tannins and a long finish. A superb match for our steaks, and not a hint of being over-the-hill. Very glad to have 1 more bottle remaining. Yes, Laube totally misjudged this one!
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12/6/2009 - bjohnson350 wrote: 89 Points
The nose has dark fruits,ceder and floral scents. Very nice and was hinting toward old world. Decanted for 30 minutes and the dark fruits started to come out much more than when we first opened. A medium ruby red in color and looking like dark cherries. The palate was dark fruits all the way and hinting of pipe tobacco. This wine has depth and is on the darker side all the way. Also some plumb and green pepper with the earthiness. The tannins were well balanced. Nice long finish however the finish got a hair to dark for me and the tobacco really lingered and overtook the palate. Great wine, big cab and this wine will continue to age nicely. Define try.
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8/13/2009 - mghomula wrote: 92 Points
Tasted blind with 3 other Napa Valley Cabs and this one was the #2 of the night behind the 1999 Chateau Montelena. When reviewing my tasting notes from the blind tasting they were remarkably similar to my previous notes. Great balance, wonderfully smooth tannins, nice acidity and a rather complex palate. (see note from 3/28/09 for the details as they were virtually identical). I still think that Laube from Wine Spectator, who gave this an 85 back in November of 2006, would have to view this wine much differently today. 50+5+12+17+8=92 pts.
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5/25/2009 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 90 Points
First experience with this producer. Plush, yet elegant Cali cab. Plummy fruits with licorice and cedar notes on finish. Tannins nearly fully integrated. Drinking well on day 2. Decent QPR- many Cali Cabs with this quality cost twice as much.
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5/20/2009 - pdemaio wrote: 92 Points
Excellent fruit and chalk nose. wonderful finish a joy from start to end.
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5/16/2009 - jcable wrote: 89 Points
Classic big napa wine, chalk and tannin and spice but with a solid fruit foundation. An excellent wine indeed.
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4/28/2009 - Saintaz wrote: 90 Points
This needs a few more years in the bottle to get close to the 1994 bosche'. Still very enjoyable with rib eye steak and roasted sweet potatoes. Next bottle will get 1 hour plus to decante before I judge it.
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3/28/2009 - mghomula wrote: 93 Points
Huge aromas of earth, Bordeaux funk, dark fruits and floral scents when it was going into the decanter. Decanted for 3 hours. A medium ruby red in color and the 7 years in bottle have started to reveal itself with just a subtle amber hue on the edge. 3 hours later the nose on this is still beautiful with some dust, herbs, dark cherries, dark berries and some more floral elements. On the palate is full of dark fruits - really bursting dark fruits - black cherry, currant, some cassis, plum, sage and earthiness. Good acidity with well integrated tannins. On the medium to long finish it is silky smooth with some cedar and tobacco on the back end with some more dark fruit. This wine is ageing gracefully and has a very elegant quality to it. Freemark Abbey continues to pick the fruit when it is not as ripe as most Napa Valley wineries do today. They have resisted the temptation to pick later to get big fruit bombs when they are young and thus they make a really lovely cabernet sauvignon that ages gracefully and becomes fruit forward as the tannins recede with age. James Laube gave this 85 back in November of 06. I think he would think differently about this wine today. It has aged so well and I believe it will go another 5 years before it runs it course. 50+5+13+17+8=93
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3/21/2009 - skinowdrinklater wrote: 92 Points
A little pricey for what it is. But it is good, has great balance and style of a lighter bodied california cab. Subtle nuances in the nose were appreciated but nothing about this was over the top.
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9/6/2008 - Danny Joe wrote: 91 Points
Dark purple color. Great nose - blueberries and raspberries. Very thick texture. Great wine.
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10/31/2007 - drycab wrote: 90 Points
Drank from magnum at a Chinese restaurant and although it didn't go with everything, the wine itself was a hit with everyone!
Needless to say, there was none left.
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