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All tasting notes
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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 31 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Dmax808 on 4/2/2019 & rated 92 points: Got at auction. Little too sweet for my tastes but still a lot of fruit and diminished tannins. (1779 views) | | | Tasted by iamandyc on 12/21/2018 & rated 94 points: This wine was singing tonight and appears to have another decade of life left. Fruit was deep yet nicely mature and dry. Subtle complexity of tobacco, cocoa and vanilla cobbler. Some nice red fruit streaking through the dark cherry and cassis. Nice nose reflecting the palate. Nice lively finish. Awesome bargain from WineBid years ago. (1824 views) | | | Tasted by zoeldar on 11/5/2017 & rated 95 points: Drinking fab! Popped a bottle at (appropriately) Two Birds/One Stone...gorgeous nose, rich cassis and blue/black fruits...well-balanced and all so lively for a 20+ yo vino. Old school lives...well (2537 views) | | | Tasted by wconnolly on 12/31/2015 & rated 92 points: Part of a fabulous New Years flight including a 1997 horizontal of Freemark Abbey Sycamore, Bosche' and the estate Napa Cab. The Sycamore was lighter in color than the Bosche but there was only the slightest touch of bricking at the rim. This was hugely representative of Sycamore. A floral, Margaux like nose. Lots of bright strawberry and raspberry with a hint of cola. Medium bodied and finish.
A fascinating comparison of three distinctly different wines with a clearly shared heritage. Part is the common vintage, part is the Rutherford AVA but in my opinion the key to the profile is the good work and longevity of winemaker Ted Edwards. (3253 views) | | | Tasted by rmcnees on 12/31/2015 & rated 92 points: Medium to full bodied, dark garnet colored, tightly wound and firm yet nicely balanced, smooth and polished, concentrated black currant and black raspberry fruits highlighted by tones of black tea, tobacco, kirsch, graphite and notes of cola, anise and oak on the lingering moderate tannin finish.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/01/freemark-abbey-cabernets-1997-vintage.html (3146 views) | | | Tasted by iamandyc on 6/5/2014 & rated 92 points: Drinking really well. Silky texture, medium body and typical cab red fruits. Lively acidity and sweet tannins give depth and freshness.Better night #1 than #2. Some complexity with spice, smoke. A refined wine. (2944 views) | | | Tasted by wconnolly on 4/19/2014 & rated 90 points: For me the highlight of the Easter Eve flight consisting of 2001 Halo and a 2007 Ruston Cuvee Simone. Medium garnet colored. Full robust bodied with forest floor, strawberry, rspberry and cherry on the palate. A bit of smokiness and a long lingering finish. (2795 views) | | | Tasted by DQuinn on 5/22/2013 & rated 93 points: Nice dark fruit, chocolate, and some dust. Well integrated, layered and complex, drinking perfect now; why wait. (2972 views) | | | Tasted by wconnolly on 11/24/2012 & rated 90 points: This was not as good as the last bottle. See my notes from 07/14/12. (2329 views) | | | Tasted by wconnolly on 7/14/2012 & rated 92 points: Garnet color with notes of smoke, moss and forest floor on the nose. Opened tight and needed more than 60 minutes to reveal layers of dark fruit, chocolate and mushroom. Drinking well now but will last another 5 years easily. An interesting comparison as we tasted side by side with a 1999 Sycamore. The 99 was a deeper indigo color and more fruit forward but lacking some of the layers and complexity of the 97. (2706 views) | | | Tasted by pdemaio on 5/18/2011 & rated 93 points: Big fruity nose. Some strawberry jam and some cherries. Still full of fruit and tasting very young. Heat on the nose. Mouthfeel very nice. Cocoa on the palate. Sweet on the body with soft round tannins. Long finish. Hard to believe this is a 1997. Pdq93+ (2678 views) | | | Tasted by rjohns57 on 4/26/2011 & rated 90 points: Tasted on the edge (2005 views) | | | Tasted by Shoomon on 1/8/2011 & rated 92 points: Full mouth feel with notes of tar, licorice and currant. Still can hold for a couple more years. (2278 views) | | | Tasted by Shoomon on 1/3/2011 & rated 95 points: Full wonderful strong presense of wood, melded red fruit and tar. Even with decanting, this offering still had a prolonged and smooth finish on the end. Wish I had another bottle to taste in another 3 years. This is still evolving. Happy to see the '97's still holding up.... (2208 views) | | | Tasted by ejca on 6/17/2009: Love the old style of Freemark Abbey, this was a great wine. Nice fruit still very strong, decanted for about an hour. Wish they still made them like this. (2629 views) | | | Tasted by tkoby11 on 2/15/2009: My last bottle of this too! Delicious and showing very well still.
Opened and drank 2 hours, no decant as it showed well from the bottle.
Color: Dark red, ruby edges
Nose: Rich cherries and red currants, some spice and a touch of age.
Palate: Youthful fruit still reamins, tannins are supple and soft. Full of cherries, currants, cedar and some sage in the background. Supple fine tannins finish this off quite nicely! (2693 views) | | | Tasted by Amerique on 12/24/2008 & rated 93 points: Rich, delicious cherry fruit with cedar flavors, very dry, classic Rutherford dust, tannins still strong, nice finish (2647 views) | | | Tasted by soyhead on 10/5/2008 & rated 92 points: no formal notes. nose - spice. mouth - fruit and choclate. (2712 views) | | | Tasted by Wino from Michigan on 3/30/2008 & rated 88 points: Needed a long time to open and when it did it was still dark, tannic and bit tart but showed did show some class. Do not think this wine will last long and needs to be drank soon. (2907 views) | | | Tasted by blocsin on 4/3/2005 & rated 90 points: 2 hours decant. Deep ruby. Lots of cedar aroma with hints of cherry, tobacco and some heat. On the palate, dark fruits & cedar with fine tannins and showing some heat at the back of the mouth. Medium-full bodied. Palate is better than the nose suggest's. Hopefully the heat tones down with some cellar time. 50+4+12+17+7=90. (4091 views) | | | Tasted by jmcmchi on 11/1/2003: Correct bramble and cedar on nose, rather sweeter on palate than on nose, but enough acidityand dusty tannins to offset.
Very pleasant and a step up from the NV (386 views) | | | Tasted by Vino Me on 10/8/2003 & rated 92 points: This was one of the better Cabs that was poured at the DiCarlo tasting. Nice cedar and berry nose. Full bodied. Rich ripe fruit with a well rounded structure. Firm tannins. Could use some more time. 92+ points. (3561 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Clare Tooley MW
Decanter, Judgment of Napa lunch (10/5/2021)
(Freemark Abbey, Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Rutherford, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vintage Retrospective: The 1997 Napa Valley Cabernets (Sep 2017) (9/1/2017)
(Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Freemark Abbey Producer website
(GREAT source of Addt'l Info)Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Rutherford Rutherford,
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