Freemark Abbey, November 25, 2013

http://www.freemarkabbey.com/


I was visiting wineries with a good friend and I had been hoping to work in a visit to Freemark Abbey with him during our last trip through Napa Valley, but it didn’t work out.  This time, I put the idea on the table as we were driving down Howell Mountain (it’s on the way, just two minutes off our route).  So, we made the detour to Freemark Abbey and I was glad we did.  My friend got an opportunity to try their wines, and I was able to sample one of the wines in my November wine club shipment – the winery’s flagship Cabernet (Bosché Vineyard).  As luck would have it, our tasting was held in the historic stone winery building (our second of the day) rather than the newer members’ tasting room.  I love the feeling of the old stone building … it lends a sense of history to the wines.  (Freemark Abbey was one of the six California red wines at the 1976 Judgment of Paris event.)

The entry to the historic Freemark Abbey stone winery building

My tasting flight started off with the 2011 Howell Mountain Chardonnay.  As much as I have been enjoying the 2011 Chardonnays, I found this one too mineral and lacking in fruit.  I continued with the 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet (which is quite tasty), then the 2009 Mount Veeder Cabernet, and lastly the 2009 Bosché Cabernet.  This last wine is wonderful for its grace, power, and ripeness.  I was happy to have a bottle in my wine club pickup.

A full review was written already about Freemark Abbey during my visit on December 28^th, 2012.