Let’s Talk Wine: A white Christmas Lush with good acidity this Chardonnay wine has citrus style aromas and lush flavors of pear, vanilla and almond butter.

Let’s Talk Wine: A white Christmas Bright citrus flavors and aromas of poached pear, lemon curd, baking spices with notes of orange blossom finish fresh and crisp.

Let’s Talk Wine: A white Christmas Clean and crisp with aromas of citrus and peach followed by green apple flavors.

The 2012 Bosché is just plain delicious: rich, balanced and full of complex flavors around a core of red and black fruits.

The “stone temple” at the corner of Highway 29 and Lodi Lane in the Napa Valley is the historic Freemark Abbey Winery. During my early wine years in the 1970s, the winery was venerated for great wines and an indomitable spirit. It was the only winery to have both a Chardonnay and Cabernet included in Steven Spurrier’s 1976 Judgement of Paris tastings. Drink this wine for its rich and spicy aromas, black fruits and toasty oak, and for its structure and balance on the palate.

2012 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (75.5 percent cabernet sauvignon, 16.6 percent merlot, 3.3 percent cabernet franc, 2.6 percent petit verdot, 2 percent malbec): hint of oak, aromas and opulent flavors of black plums, bittersweet chocolate and spice, long, smooth finish.

It is a common lament that good Cabernet Sauvignon has gotten so expensive that it is becoming a wine for special occasions rather than regular drinking, but there are always good buys to be found, some of which happily defy expectations. The previously recommended **(two-star) FREEMARK ABBEY Napa Valley 2012 continues to rank high on our roster of favorites and is a serious effort that stands with collectable, cellarworthy Cabernets costing a great deal more…

There is certainly no shortage of good Cabernet Sauvignon these days, and the best can come fairly dear, but the outstanding **FREEMARK ABBEY Napa Valley 2012 outperforms a great many costing two and three times as much and reminds that affordable, highly collectable Cabernet still has not disappeared.

Winemaker Ted Edwards says this wine – and a pricey Rutherford cabernet -- are among the best he's ever made. No doubt, they have guts and glory. Well balanced and integrated, this blend of Bordeaux varietals has bright berry flavors and a dash of truffles and mocha.

This storied 125-year-old Napa valley winery can still produce terrific wines. This example is a classic Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and is a blend of all five Bordeaux varietals, with cherry and cassis nose and flavors. Firm tannins, but approachable now, this beauty can easily age a decade if stored properly.

Winemaker Ted Edwards says this wine — and a pricey Rutherford cabernet — are among the best he's ever made. No doubt, the wines have guts and glory. Well balanced and integrated, this blend of Bordeaux varietals has bright berry flavors and a dash of truffles and mocha.

Don't underestimate the body of this rich, fruit-forward cabernet from Napa Valley. Using all the Bordeaux grape varieties, the blend packs firm tannins and layered dark berry fruit. Hints of cedar, black pepper and chocolate.

Ted Edwards, director of winemaking, said it took all of his 30 years of winemaking at Freemark Abbey and his history of working with the vineyards to make the 2011, produced in the most difficult California vintage in memory. And if you give this still-young wine time to get oxygen in your glass, you will see he really pulled this one off. It's rich, layered with flavors and complexity, nicely infused with smoky, spicy oak and framed in supple tannins and firm acidity. You get the sensation of bright red berries, plums, dark cooking spices, cedar. It's full-bodied and opulent. It's produced off the historic Bosché Vineyard in Rutherford and Veeder Peak on the ridges of Mount Veeder.

One of the more traditional interpretations of the day, its color deep, its flavors ripe and distinctly cherry, its texture pushing the envelope of grittiness, and its oak generous without being overwhelming. In contrast to others, however, its aroma had a surprisingly floral attribute.

Trim and tannic, with austere dried berry, currant and cedar notes, gaining depth and ending with a crushed rock minerality.

This is a soft beauty that charms the nose and palate with its dark cherry, plum, blackberry personality infused with brown cooking spices — cinnamon and clove — from the French oak barrels. Almost half the barrels are new – which might be overpowering for some wines but not this fruit. It’s made off famous Napa real estate — Bosche Vineyard in Rutherford, mountain fruit from Potelle Vineyard and Veeder Peak, Stage Coach and Round Pond vineyards. No wonder this baby is so rich, smooth, powerful and approachable.

One of California's most historic wineries produces consistently good cabernet sauvignon from excellent vineyards in Rutherford, Mt. Veeder and Atlas Peak. This one is no less in quality. It shows off an opulent nose of dark berry, spice, oak and clove. There is an abundance of rich dark cherry fruit and long finish.

Aromas of black pepper, mint and smoky oak … lots of black fruit and spice. A Bordeaux-style blend that's barely a legal cab (25 percent of the wine is made up of the four other varietals), this well-balanced, full-bodied offering from one of Napa Valley's storied producers is a powerhouse. Though it could probably use a little more time to really shine, you won't be unhappy drinking a bottle now.

We really enjoyed the rich, deep flavors of this complex and delicious Napa Valley cabernet. Using grapes from the prized Atlas Peak and Mt. Veeder and Rutherford regions, the wine exudes plum and black cherry fruit, a touch of mineral clove and cedar. Full-bodied and long in the finish.

With its oak-infused blackberry and blueberry flavors, this is a smooth Cabernet for drinking soon. It's a little sweet and modest in complexity, but shows plenty of elegance.

Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché is a Napa Valley Classic I’ll admit that I spend my wine days and nights in New York chasing the obscure. Bring me all your wonderfully weird wines! Sometimes, though, this is at the expense of the classics. Case in point would be the Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché. I had the pleasure of tasting this wine with Ted Edwards, director of winemaking. He’s been responsible for the wines at Freemark Abbey for over three decades. Now that’s a hell of a tenure. After a very nice 2016 Chardonnay (extremely satisfying for $30) we dove into two library wines. The 2003 was in an outstanding place. I have to confess to not liking super-old wines. OK, if you want to open a top Bordeaux from 1945, 1961, 1982, etc. for me I would be absolutely delighted. But in general I do not like wines that have lost all their fruit, particularly white wines. So at 15 years, this wine was perfect. Plenty of primary fruit flavors with a blend of those secondary, more savory characteristics that only come with bottle age. The decade-old 2008 was remarkably youthful.

Ripe, rich and fruity, with an acidic tang to the cherry and raspberry fruit. A little simple in sour candy tastes, but likeable for dryness and acidity. Give it a good decant, or try cellaring.

Cedar, vanilla and spice aromas. Full-bodied cassis, pepper, herb and spicy black cherry notes on the palate with grainy, tight tannins on the finish. Well made.

It's hard not to enjoy the plush, luxurious texture of this juicy Bordeaux-like blend of cabernet sauvignon (80 percent), merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec. The black cherry and plum fruit is sweet on the palate and is accompanied by vanilla and spice notes.