" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Freemark Abbey Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
No longer available.
| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | California California (Napa) |
| Winery: | Freemark Abbey |
| Grape Type: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage: | 2016 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
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Freemark Abbey Sycamore Cabernet Sauvignon is made from
Wine Profile: Opaque dark ruby describes the color of this Rutherford wine. Black currant and Boysenberry notes dominate the aroma, with dark chocolate truffle, cocoa powder, Worcestershire sauce, cremini mushrooms and forest floor adding to the complexity. The oak adds the ideal amount of complexity with aromatic cedar, cinnamon and clove. The wine has great depth of black fruit flavor, with a strong expression of sweet black cherry. This full-bodied cabernet sauvignon has resolved tannins yet firm structure, with good acidity. Lovely long finish!
Primary Vineyard: Sycamore Vineyard—Rutherford (100%): Small 24-acre vineyard located about 1.2 miles south of Bosche, right up against the Mayacamas Range, this vineyard has a rich clay loam. Sycamore Vineyard produces small berries reminiscent of mountain fruit berries, with intense extract of color and flavor. The color is very dark early in the fermentation, with flavors of black currant and black berry with a forest floor complexity.
Review:
From a vineyard closer to the Mayacamas Mountains and first made in 1980, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards checks in as 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It spent 27 months in 66% new French. It offers more black fruits, earth, tobacco, cedar, and gravelly minerality as well as a touch more burly, masculine style on the palate. Nevertheless, it's still beautifully balanced, has considerable elegance, and a great finish.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards gives up powerful crème de cassis, dark chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and baked plums scents with hints of lavender, camphor, pencil shavings and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with rich, black fruits plus a beautiful perfumed undercurrent, framed by finely grained tannins and lovely freshness, finishing with a mineral lift. 1,989 cases were made.
-Wine Advocate 95 Points
Herbal, with characteristics of peppercorn, cedar and pencil shavings, this beautiful wine is also dusty and mineral-driven, with demure flavors of red and black currant. Full bodied and well structured, it shows an underlying softness that should continue to soften in the cellar. Enjoy best from 2026–2031.
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
Freemark Abbey Bosche Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot.
The nose exhibits aromas of black cherry, mocha, cassis and forest floor. The palate is bright yet creamy and filled with notes of forest fruits, leather, baking spices and soft vanilla. The textures are vibrant and integrated making this wine lovely now with the ability to age for decades in the cellar.
Review:
Blended with 7% Merlot from the famous site, along the benchlands of the Mayacamas, this is a juicy, delicious and sophisticated wine, with impressive, complementary bolts of freshness and intensity that are fully in sync. Notes of gravel, black cherry, currant and herb ride along a structured and generous palate of memorable greatness. Enjoy best from 2028–2038. Cellar Selection
- Wine Enthusiast 98 Points
The nose opens with aromas of blackberry, blueberry, black current and boysenberry. The fruit elements are complimented with notes of forest floor, cigar box, dark chocolate and espresso. The wine is rich and balanced and French oak barrels add the ideal amount of complexity with notes of baking spice and warm vanilla. This is a full-bodied wine with integrated tannins that give it a long, lingering finish. Stunning.
Primary Vineyard: Sycamore Vineyard—Rutherford (100%): Small 24-acre vineyard located about 1.2 miles south of Bosche, right up against the Mayacamas Range, this vineyard has a rich clay loam. Sycamore Vineyard produces small berries reminiscent of mountain fruit berries, with intense extract of color and flavor. The color is very dark early in the fermentation, with flavors of black currant and black berry with a forest floor complexity.
Review:
Mint, spearmint, dark-berry and blueberry aromas. Leaves and sage, too. Full-bodied and firm with fantastic depth. Cool fruit with menthol and mint. Spice. Refreshing. Firm tannins. Fantastic 2017. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 97 Points
Avennia Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Red Willow Cabernet is a true blockbuster.
Coming from one specific block of 30 year old vines at this iconic vineyard, then strictly barrel selected, this is the essence of powerful, old vine Washington Cabernet. After all of our efforts promoting the idea of the Bordeaux blend, it would take a pretty compelling argument to suspend that idea and make a 100% varietal Cabernet. In 2016 Red Willow provided us with just that. Each time we tasted it in the barrel, the belief grew that this was something special. Something we can't make every year. In the end we were won over, and decided to make a limited amount of this wine. But don't be fooled, as this too is a blend and a selection. Each year as we are tasting the grapes as harvest approaches, we notice that the vines near the bottom of this long, steep west-facing slope, are a little different. The vines at the bottom are in a little richer soil, and get a little more water, so we pick them separately, sometimes even a week or ten days apart, and keep them separate in barrel.
This wine is all from the top of the vineyard, with its lower yield and poorer soils giving more concentration and interest. Then further, nearly every combination of new and used French oak barrels were trialed to find the best blend. It's not enough just to use the four best barrels, but to trial each combination to see how they complement each other. For a wine with this much mass, 100% new French oak was used for the first time at Avennia. It is a wine that needs a little cellaring to start, but should last a very long time.
Review:
Made from 100% Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Willow is another gem from this great winemaker. Deep purple-colored, with a huge perfume of blackberries, crème de cassis, cedarwood, pencil lead, and graphite, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness and depth, nicely integrated acidity, and building, ripe tannins. Give bottles 3-4 years and it too will cruise for 15-20 years or more.
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 95 Points
Bursting from the glass with impeccable precision, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Willow Vineyard is the real McCoy, boasting a focused frame of fruit on the nose that shows depth and breadth in layers of aromas—blackberry, dark cherry, licorice and clove-laced spices flutter over a bed of roses. I can't stop smelling this wine! Full-bodied, the wine unfolds and expands across the palate with complexity, tight structure and beautifully managed tannins, ending with a thought-provoking and long-lingering finish. The wine has a still-tight expression that will age beautifully for years to come. It will serve you well to seek out a bottle of this world-class wine. Only 140 cases were made.
- Wine Advocate 95 Points
Avennia Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Red Willow Cabernet is a true blockbuster.
Coming from one specific block of 30 year old vines at this iconic vineyard, then strictly barrel selected, this is the essence of powerful, old vine Washington Cabernet. After all of our efforts promoting the idea of the Bordeaux blend, it would take a pretty compelling argument to suspend that idea and make a 100% varietal Cabernet. In 2016 Red Willow provided us with just that. Each time we tasted it in the barrel, the belief grew that this was something special. Something we can't make every year. In the end we were won over, and decided to make a limited amount of this wine. But don't be fooled, as this too is a blend and a selection. Each year as we are tasting the grapes as harvest approaches, we notice that the vines near the bottom of this long, steep west-facing slope, are a little different. The vines at the bottom are in a little richer soil, and get a little more water, so we pick them separately, sometimes even a week or ten days apart, and keep them separate in barrel.
This wine is all from the top of the vineyard, with its lower yield and poorer soils giving more concentration and interest. Then further, nearly every combination of new and used French oak barrels were trialed to find the best blend. It's not enough just to use the four best barrels, but to trial each combination to see how they complement each other. For a wine with this much mass, 100% new French oak was used for the first time at Avennia. It is a wine that needs a little cellaring to start, but should last a very long time.
Review:
"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Willow Vineyard is 100% Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon that will spend roughly 20 months in close to 100% new French oak. Blackcurrants, smoked herbs, chocolate, and graphite notes all give way to a full-bodied, plump, rich, concentrated effort that's going to be better with short-term cellaring and keep for two decades."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2018), 94-96 pts
Brandlin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 76% Cabernet Sauvignon 12% Malbec 7% Cabernet Franc 2% Petit Verdot.
The 2016 vintage was a near perfect year, producing wines of opulence and intensity. The terroir of the Brandlin vineyard naturally thickens the grape skins, developing deep color and tannin while also creating remarkably small berries. Our 2016 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon offers inky, dark fruit, and a plush mouthfeel while boasting notes of blackberry, mocha, fig, dates and dense black currant fruit accented with hints of nettle, earth and clove.
Brandlin is a Napa Valley estate that produces wine from a small, historic vineyard in the Mount Veeder appellation. The wines pay homage to the Brandlin family. As early as the 1870s, the Brandlins settled on these steep, rocky slopes, and became grape growing pioneers in Napa's Mount Veeder region. With over 50 years' of experience, Henry Brandlin staked the family’s claim to this estate and planted their own vineyards in 1926.In 1998 Cuvaison Estate Wines was honored by Henry’s son, Chester Brandlin, with rights to purchase Brandlin Vineyard. Respectfully maintaining the integrity of the estate, only a fraction of the land has been planted to vineyards carefully designed to honor the integral beauty of the property. Glens of old oak trees and sustainable viticultural practices support natural biodiversity and abundant wildlife.We brought to Brandlin Vineyard all the lessons of Cuvaison Estate Wines' 38 years of viticulture - great care in the study of sun exposures and soil types, and profound respect for the environment. Our intention is to honor the Brandlin family with a namesake vineyard that produces intense and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon. - Steven Rogstad, Winemaker
Review:
This has the expressive fruit and racy spine of the vintage, mixing plum and blackberry paste flavors with a graphite edge, while extra sassafras and bramble notes add energy to the finish. Solid. Best from 2022 through 2032. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 2,226 cases made.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
Product Description
Freemark Abbey Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is opaque with dark ruby color. The aroma is very rich with blackberry and dark currant fruit. With great depth of fruit, the oak adds a spicy edge, yielding nuances of aromatic cedar, cinnamon, clove, cigar box, black pepper and dark chocolate coco powder. This is a very big wine, the body is very full, balanced with black fruit flavors, coupled with a good acidity and resolved tannins. This will give a Cabernet lover goose bumps.
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford) is powerful, dense and savory, not to mention incredibly expressive. Sweet tobacco, grilled herbs, leather, licorice, chocolate and dried flowers develop in this characterful Cabernet; there is plenty of Rutherford dirt personality as well. This is very nicely done.
-- Antonio Galloni 93 Points
Winery: Freemark Abbey
For over half a century, America’s premier grape-growing state has enjoyed a reputation more or less interchangeable with Cabernet Sauvignon’s. It’s the king of red wine grapes in California—and also in France—for a reason: the amazing complexity that skilled winemakers are able to coax out of it when grown in optimum locations. They know all about this in the great, old chateaux of Bordeaux, as well as at many younger, but equally prestigious, wineries in Napa Valley. The world’s best Cabernet grapes are grown in these respective regions.
On the short list of the latter sits Freemark Abbey, a St. Helena winery founded in 1886, that hasn’t been “young” for a long time. With nearly 50 vintages’ worth of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon vintages tucked away in its library, Freemark’s signature portfolio of wines represents one of the most fully realized Cabernet programs in America. They're produced by a winery whose contemporary rise to prominence has, from the 1960s to present, coincided with that of California’s fine wine industry.
Today, Freemark Abbey is many things to many people: a team of some of the most respected winemakers working in Napa Valley; a historic 1886 winery and pristine estate, with an enthusiastic hospitality program that highlights both; a collection of source vineyards up and down Napa Valley, representing several of California’s most distinctive terroirs; an extensive—and unparalleled—wine library that stretches back decades; and a winery that, because of its long history and international reputation, is one of Napa Valley’s true ambassador brands.
Freemark Abbey’s newly appointed Winemaker Emeritus, Ted Edwards, has overseen much of its ascendance. As he moves into a self-described “co-pilot” role to new Winemaker Kristy Melton, he can reflect on the changes he’s witnessed at this iconic St. Helena winery over 40 years.
Moving forward, Ted’s job will be to offer advice and counsel to Kristy and her winemaking team, to continue in a leading viticultural role, and to carry on as Freemark’s most experienced proponent. The two Rutherford vineyards, Bosché and Sycamore, are, like Ted himself, closely linked to the winery’s identity. This won’t change. What will change is Ted’s ability to focus his energy on the growing protocols at this pair of vineyards, which are closer to his winemaker’s heart than any others in Napa Valley.
The transition from Ted to Kristy in 2020 is just another step in the evolution of this extraordinary wine estate. There are bookends to the story, however, at least up to the present day: a pioneering, unstoppable woman founded the property 135 year ago, and today an equally unique and determined woman is taking charge.
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All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collector’s cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Bright and glossy ruby red in colour. On the nose it reveals aromas of small fresh berries and a trace of sour cherry, melded with hints of blackberries and black cherries, followed by a hint of vanilla. A fragrant wine with satisfying intensity. On the palate it is warm, smooth and a medium-bodied with finely-balanced tannins. Dry and sinewy yet fresh with a persistent, aromatic finish.
Reviews:
#72 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023
Bright and glossy ruby red in colour. On the nose it reveals aromas of small fresh berries and a trace of sour cherry, melded with hints of blackberries and black cherries, followed by a hint of vanilla. A fragrant wine with satisfying intensity. On the palate it is warm, smooth and a medium-bodied with finely-balanced tannins. Dry and sinewy yet fresh with a persistent, aromatic finish.
-James Suckling 91 Points
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