Good red-ruby color. Sweet aromas of plum, currant and fruitcake. The ripest and most generous by a wide margin of this winery's 2007 reds, with a supple texture and a light leesy nuance to the red currant, tobacco and mocha flavors. Finishes with a sweet dusting of tannins and good length.

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of fruit (79% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot and tiny dollops of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc) from estate vineyards. Classic aromas of cedarwood, roasted herbs, dark cherries and white chocolate emerge from spicy, medium-bodied Cabernet. It should provide plenty of pleasure over the next decade. 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.

Two-thirds of the 2012 Viognier is barrel-fermented. The wine reveals more tropical orange marmalade and apricot notes intermixed with crisp, steely, mineral characteristics. This medium-bodied, fresh, lively Viognier should drink well for 2-3 years.

Freemark Abbey Napa Valley 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, 88 points, poured a medium brass color clearing two thirds of the way toward the glass edge. Opening sniffs were soft and unremarkable unripe cantaloupe, citrus, and a furtive mint note, but with air, grass aromas developed. Light-bodied with good acidity carried intensifying flavors of grass and sweet hay nuanced with red dragon fruit. Finished well with a candied ginger note and a nicely balanced 13.8% alcohol. Paired perfectly with my Atlantic salmon cakes.

This oaky, fruity Chardonnay is lush and opulent. It has flavors of buttered toast, sweet cream, pineapples, tangerines, tropical-fruit jam, sautéed bananas and limes, accented with brisk acidity.

The 2010 Chardonnay Napa Valley is a very pretty, round, soft wine. Layers of apple, melon and citrus are nicely layered into this generous yet focused white. Blocked malo gives the Chardonnay lovely energy. Even better, this is a terrific value. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015.

Well-built, moderately rich and centered, offering dark berry, plum, currant and cedary cigar box touches. Firms pleasantly on the finish, with a mild tannic grip.

Blended with 7% Syrah and smaller proportions of Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and other grapes, this well-made wine is restrained in style. It shows crisp red fruit, orange and cranberry loaded around dusty tannins, big oak and chocolate.

There are 2638 cases of the artisinal '98 Pinot Noir, a big, rich, earthy, animal-styled Pinot with plenty of black cherry fruit, pepper, & plum aromas as well as flavors. Medium to full-bodied & fruit-driven, with good glycerin & a silky texture, it requires consumption over the next 2-3 years.

Ripe, with juicy plum and strawberry flavors, it turns rich and complex on the finish, with lots of fruit notes.

Pinot Noir World Series

...is surprisingly soft, round, and forward for a Petite Syrah. The wine has plenty of character, an opaque ruby/purple color, and good peppery, blackberry and licorice notes.

Grape and blackberry aromas and flavors drench this full-bodied, smooth-textured wine in fruitiness. It's fat in texture and very easy to drink.

If chocolate-covered cherries could be liquefied, this wine is what they would taste like. It is delicious, fruity, soft in texture, maybe slightly sweet, and so easygoing and tempting that it’s hard to stop sipping. Note that it’s deceptively full in body.

is surprisingly soft, round, & forward for a Petit Syrah. The wine has plenty of character, an opaque ruby/purple color, & good peppery, blackberry & licorice notes. It should drink well for 10-12 years.

Intense & lively, with sweet, jammy, raisiny black cherry, wild berry & nutty Sherry-like flavors that push the envelope in ripeness, finishing with some heat. Label indicates a credible 17.5% alcohol. Drink now through 2006. 275 cases made.

'Here's a pretty youthful zin, its aroma already devveloping subtle and intriguing aspects while the fruit in the mouth holds to a simple, firm berry character. It's gentle and generous, an easy-going red…

…exhibits a dark ruby color with amber at the edge. This nose is reminiscent of and Asian restaurant, with scents of soy, smoked duck, plums, and assorted black fruits. Ripe and deep, with a slight hotness, this heady wine requires consumption over the next 5-6 years.

It is a fat, big, rich delicious effort bursting with peppery, spicy, cherry fruit with a touch of blackberries. Interestingly, the blend was 78% Zinfandel, 8%Sangiovese, 3% Syrah, and 11% Petite Sirah.

All the Zinfandel varietal characteristics - black cherry, pepper, briery fruit - are present in moderately high levels.

Zin does not get much riper or bolder than this late-harvest style version. Bursting with fruit, it's not for the faint-hearted. Winemaker Van Williamson says it's dry, but it sure tastes as if it has a healthy dose of residual sugar.

Peppery, with earth, tar, raspberry and wild berry. A distinctive style, with firm, drying tannins.

Lots of supple cherry and wild berry flavors are plush with spice, anise and cedar notes and mild tannins.