From several vineyard sites and combining all five red Bordeaux varieties, this wine is fermented in stainless steel before it rests over two years in both French and American oak. Powerful, it retains an elegance amid a tannic, grippy entry of toasted oak and black cherry, and a rich textured finish accented in cinnamon and chocolate.

Tangled in its tannins when first opened, this wine requires a day of air to take shape. The acidity hits the tannins with the spark of crushed stone, while flavors of tart plum and peach skin fill out the hard edges. Blended from 20 vineyards and five varieties (it’s 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, with merlot, franc, petit verdot and malbec), this needs bottle age to soften.

Tangled in its tannins when first opened, this wine requires a day of air to take shape. The acidity hits the tannins with the spark of crushed stone, while flavors of tart plum and peach skin fill out the hard edges. Blended from 20 vineyards and five varieties (it's 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, with merlot, franc, petit verdot and malbec), this needs bottle age to soften.

A no nonsense Napa cabernet with chocolate, berry and plum character. Medium body, firm tannins and a fresh finish. Fun to drink.

Smooth and spicy with plum, cassis and racy acidity; toasty, nicely structured and long.

Napa Valley: 2007 Retrospective - Napa's Turning-Point Vintage Medium to deep garnet in color with a touch of brick, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards has a maturing crème de cassis, dried mulberries and baked blackberries nose with hints of sandalwood, leather and unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, it gives a good amount of slowly evolving, juicy black fruit flavors with a chewy frame and lively finish.

My favorite red wine is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard which is planted in clay and loam soils in Rutherford. It exhibits loamy, earthy soil notes intermixed with toasty oak, black currant, black cherry, Christmas fruitcake and spice box. Medium-bodied with plenty of tannin, it will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring and should last for 15+ years. Freemark Abbey continues to be a work in progress as proprietor Jess Jackson moves aggressively to get this estate back to its glory days of the late sixties and early to mid-seventies.

Napa Valley: 2007 Retrospective - Napa's Turning-Point Vintage Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche Vineyard has some medicinal and fried herbs wafts over a core of baked black plums and stewed cherries plus hints of tobacco and new leather. Medium to full-bodied, the palate provides oodles of freshness and a pleasantly chewy frame supporting the straightforward black fruits, finishing earthy.

This wine's elegance is apparent when it's first poured, though the earthy fruit flavors remain elusive. A day of air brings its black currant brightness to the foreground, juicy and firm. Suited to a few years of age, this will smooth any grizzled edges off a grilled butterflied leg of lamb.

This wine's elegance is apparent when it's first poured, though the earthy fruit flavors remain elusive. A day of air brings its black currant brightness to the foreground, juicy and firm. Suited to a few years of age, this will smooth any grizzled edges off a grilled butterflied leg of lamb.

From a 23-acre vineyard planted on the so-called red Rutherford dust, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche Vineyard is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot. While it does not reach the level of some past legends (1974), it reveals a sumptuous perfume of creme de cassis, loamy soil, and spicy oak, followed by tightly-constructed, medium to full-bodied flavors with sweet tannin, outstanding concentration, and admirable overall equilibrium. While it still plays it close to the vest, its quality/pedigree is obvious. Consume it over the next 15+ years.

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is sourced from notable vineyards across Napa Valley, comes in at 83.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the rest Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Not that there is any undue oak on the wine, but it does age for 24 months in French cooperage. Quite backward for a 2005, this opaque purple wine offers up notes of cedar wood, licorice, underbrush, blackcurrants and black cherries. Full-bodied, moderately tannic, but still exceptionally youthful and impressive, this wine is complex and evolved, a Napa version of a Bordeaux St.-Julien. These are all classically styled wines. Of course, long-time winemaker Ted Edwards is still steering the fortunes of this historic producer. All three of the 2005s are still amazingly youthful wines at age ten.

The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (10,582 cases) is an outstanding value in Napa Cabernet. With prices on almost every Napa Cabernet now well in excess of $50.00, a $35.00 wine that merits 90 points is big news. Deep ruby purple in color with loads of licorice, black currant, cedar, and spice, this wine has beautiful texture, medium to full body, and a heady finish. The velvety texture and opulence of the wine speak to drinking it over the next 10-15 years.

A lush and round Napa Valley cabernet, this is all about soft ripeness of black fruit and rich, espresso-roast tannin. A pretty floral note adds to the wine's simple, delicious flavor. A steakhouse pour.

A real value is the 10,000-case production of the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. Composed of 77.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.8% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it was aged 24 months in French oak and finished at 14.1% alcohol. It comes from a number of sources, most in the Rutherford area. Notes of spice box, cedar and forest floor intermixed with red and black currants are followed by a wine with sweet tannins that are nearly concealed by the wine's luxurious fruit and glycerin. This full-bodied, sexy, fully mature Cabernet Sauvignon should keep for 7-8 more years.

Medium-light yellow color; attractive, floral, topical fruit aroma with a hint of lemon curd; medium body; citrus, white peach and passion fruit flavors with good acid balance and a rich, slightly creamy mouthfeel; lingering aftertaste. Very highly recommended.

Freemark Abbey is one of the most dependable Viognier producers in California. Here they strike gold again with a rich, powerful wine with flavors of tropical fruits, Meyer lemons, limes and honeysuckle flower. It’s balanced in acidity, and a touch of new oak adds toasty complexity.

Smooth and creamy with lovely aromatics and a hint of sweetness; lush, deep and ripe; balanced, long and stylish.

Very rich in tropical fruit, orange, apricot, lime, Asian pear and honey flavors, this tastes like an orchard in a glass. It’s so powerful in fruity essence that it tastes sweet until the finish, which turns nicely dry and crisp in acidity. It defines Viognier’s exotic, unctuous side. Nice now with today’s modern Asian fusion fare. viognier

Nicely ripened and very explicit with regards to the peachy fruit and blossomy sweetness of good Viognier, Freemark Abbey’s fragrant new bottling joins other high achievers in getting the grape right, and it does do without the least hint of excess. It is ripe, but it is not at all heavy, and its inviting freshness is a real plus. It shows a bare bit of finishing heat, but its fruit lasts and lasts, and it will make for fine drinking with the warm weather luncheons of Summer and Spring.

Very perfumed with peach and sliced-lemon character. Full-bodied, round and fresh with a hint of lemon drops at the end with crushed stones. Drink now.

The 2016 Chardonnay is scented of baked pears, ripe apples and dried herbs with touches of cedar, cinnamon toast and yeast extract. Full-bodied, rich and with a pleasantly oily texture, it is jam packed with ripe apple and toasty layers, finishing long.

This pale straw-colored Chardonnay from Freemark Abbey was well liked by our tasting group. It opens with a very very faint pineapple and oak bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and very easy to drink. The flavor profile is like the nose. Those flavors are light oak, with some mild green apple and a touch of pineapple and ginger. The finish is dry and refreshing for a Chard. We all thought it was food friendly and would pair nicely with garlic chicken.

The 2015 Chardonnay is partially barrel-fermented and aged sur lie, but only about 15% new French oak is used. This wine is elegant, with good acidity and notes of baked apple pie intermixed with some white peach and pineapple in a crisp, medium to full-bodied style. Given its acid and concentration, this wine should age nicely for 7-8 years, possibly longer.