Freemark Abbey Wine Tasting at Wine Watch with Barry Dobbs

Tuesday, April 25, 2017 - 07:30 PM

This Event has been read: 1355 times.

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"By making this wine vine known to the public, I have rendered my country as great a service as if I had enabled it to pay back the national debt."
~ Thomas Jefferson


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If only a modern day politician could contribute as much to the quality of our life as the late great Thomas Jefferson.  He was one of the first advocates of wine in the United States and he is one of the reasons why we have the greatest selection of wines from all around the world in the U.S. today.  So, remember...no matter how bad it gets, we still have great wines here in the U.S. of A.

Speaking of GREAT wines from the U.S.A…. I need a few good men or women to help me drink some really fine wine on this occasion with one of the original wineries of Napa Valley Freemark Abbey.  Tonight we have the ambassador of this winery Barry Dobbs on hand to showcase the new releases including the legendary Sycamore Vineyard.  Sycamore Vineyard is located in Rutherford 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.  And the price of this tasting is less than the cost of a bottle of the current release of this iconic wine.

Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone will be making a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines.  This tasting is limited to 16 tasters and the fee for this event is $69 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

For those of you that like California Cabernet Sauvignon we have included everything we have in the store from the outstanding 2012 and 2013 vintages from Northern California at the end of the info about this event so if you can’t make the wine tasting you can still take advantage of these great prices.

 

Image result for freemark abbey Barry DobbsImage result for freemark abbey Barry Dobbs

Freemark Abbey Wine Tasting at Wine Watch with Barry Dobbs
Tuesday, April 25th
7:30pm

Image result for 2014 Freemark Abbey Napa Chardonnay

2014 Freemark Abbey Napa Chardonnay
Price: $27.00       Sale $23.76          Case $276

(91 Points)  "The 2014 Chardonnay is a non-malolactic 100% Chardonnay that’s 45% barrel-fermented. The wine is sensational. There are nearly 10,000 cases of this wine, which shows loads of white peach, honeysuckle, green apple and melon notes in a distinctive, clean, steely Chablis-like style. There is some tropical fruit, such as pineapple, but the overall character is one of great acid, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and no real oak influence." The Wine Advocate

Image result for 2013 Freemark Abbey Napa Merlot

2013 Freemark Abbey Napa Merlot
Price: $30.00       Sale $26.40          Case $306

Opaque depth of red ruby color, our Merlot expresses rich dark fruit aromas composed of dark cherry, boysenberry, Santa Rosa plum, Bay leaf and dried herbs. There is a milk chocolate nuance with integrated spicy oak. Coupled with the rich dark fruit, there is a hint of arugula adding to the complexity. The entry and finish are very smooth with integrated fruit resembling black cherry. The Merlot has a good overall balance of fruit, body, tannin and acidity. The depth of fruit coupled with the richness of flavor, provides a profile that delivers from initial sip, one that continues on the palate for a very long finish.

Following 2012, we had another “near perfect vintage.” A warm, dry winter and spring brought early bud break. The dry weather helped lower canopy vigor and created ideal conditions for flowering and fruit set under sunny skies. With one heat spike in late June, early July, the growing temperatures were near ideal for vine growth and ripening. The season as a hole, was a good two weeks early on the average and really quite dry.  There were two rain storms in mid-September that didn’t amount to any consequence, as most of the thin skinned varieties came in early.

Image result for 2013 Freemark Abbey Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

2013 Freemark Abbey Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $45.00       Sale $39.60          Case $459

(92 Points)  "The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Freemark Abbey’s generic bottling from Napa, is a brilliant example, and at $50, a heck of a value. It is also one of their larger cuvées at 24,332 cases. A blend of 75.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.9% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, this wine spent nearly 26 months in oak. Opaque purple in color, it exhibits beautiful blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with hints of white chocolate, allspice and tobacco leaf. It is rich, full-bodied, seriously concentrated, and has 2013's relatively serious structure and tannic clout. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25-30 years. Rating: 92+" The Wine Advocate

Image result for 2012 Freemark Abbey Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

2012 Freemark Abbey Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $54.00       Sale $47.52          Case $551

A rich and fruity bouquet with dark currant, plum and cherry fruit sweet tobacco spice, dark chocolate with dark earth and a bit of that distinctive Rutherford dust.  A smooth and easy drinking wine with lots of rich currant, cassis berry fruit, tobacco spice and that Rutherford dust through the finish.  Big and chewy this wine needs a day to open up, even better on the second day!!  Finish 45+                Excellent +

Image result for 2012 Freemark Abbey Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

2012 Freemark Abbey Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $127.50    Sale $112.20       Case $1301

(95 Points) "The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard comes from a vineyard located at the end of Bella Oaks Lane in Rutherford. This has slightly less Cabernet Sauvignon than the Bosche Vineyard, at 84%, and the rest is Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged three months less in oak. Loads of clove, sweet blackberry and cassis, black olive tapenade and earthy forest floor notes are all present in this wine that shows dazzling richness, a heady full-bodied mouthfeel and stunning finish. The wine is slightly more evolved with the tannins and structure less present than in the Bosché." The Wine Advocate

 

Menu

Selection of Cheese:  Beemster Gouda, Parmesan Reggiano

Beef Tartar ravioli with cola soaked sundried tomato brown butter and fresh basil

Pancetta wrapped Pork Tenderloin served with Mole Sauce and black bean salsa

 

There are only 16 seats available for this tasting.  The fee for this event is $69 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

 

A bit about Freemark Abbey Winery:

Image result for Freemark Abbey Winery:

Into every bottle of wine made by a vintner of the Old School went a little bit of himself.  It was believed that the quality of a man’s wine depended of his own quality and character.  To gain lasting fame as a wine grower, a vintner had to be a poet, a philosopher and an honorable man, as well as a master craftsman.”  This short poem is the epitome of the character of Charles Albert Carpy, the late founder and managing partner of Freemark Abbey.   His daughter, Catherine Carpy found this typewritten poem on a piece of rice paper while organizing his files shortly after his death.  Charles was a throw back from an era when Napa Valley was made up of farmers like himself.  These tractor driving, flannel shirt wearing folks had the business savvy to invest in vineyards long before the Ferrari driving CEO’s and multimillionaires invaded Napa.

The Carpy’s roots were planted deep in Napa Valley long before Charles II, became a partner in the new Freemark Abbey.  His grandfather, Charles Carpy I, came to Napa from Bordeaux soon after the Civil War; he first owned Uncle Sam Cellars in Napa then Greystone Cellars (now Christian Brothers).  Young Chuck Carpy went to St. Helena High School and lived in the same house that he grew up, in St. Helena, his entire life.   “I’ve never really called any other place home”, said Carpy of the Spanish styled house which stands in a grove of palm trees near the Beringer and Christian Brothers wineries.  Not only does the Carpy family have a pretty amazing history in the valley, but so does the winery and vineyard land that they source much of their grape supply from.

There are records of vines and wine from the winery property that date back to 1875, when a retired sea captain, William J. Sayward, began developing 26 acres of vines.  Sayward had a very short history at the property as he sold it only six years later to a Danish immigrant named John Tychson.  The sickly Tychson survived only four years, but his wife Josephine carried through with the plans to build the Tychson Winery.  She very well could have been the very first woman to build a winery during the 19th century.  Her first crush was 1886.  Josephine also had a very short tenure at this property as eight years later Phylloxera forced her to sell.  The next proprietor, Anton Forni, founded Lombarda Cellars. He was responsible for building the traditional stone building that now houses Freemark Abbey’s ultra modern winery.  Prohibition drove Forni out of business, and the property was passed on to a few non-winemaking owners.  In 1939, the building was purchased by Albert Ahern who founded the first Freemark Abbey with two partners.  (Ahern was nicknamed Abbey; his partners were Charles Freeman and Mark Foster, whence the name.)  The original Freemark Abbey fell idle during a long slump in wine sales that lasted through the 1950’s. 

In March of 1967 Carpy and a handfull of other partners each put down $250,000 as start-up capital for the winery.  Ten years before the winery was founded Charles had completed his degree in agricultural economics at the University of California at Davis.  In 1961, he and his sister invested in 115 acres in Rutherford east of the Napa River.  This area became known as the Carpy Ranch and a few years later the opportunity to start a winery was like a dream come true for Charles as he explains, “I guess I just wanted to be a farmer”.  Today, all of the parties are still involved in the winery and the blend of old school and new school philosophies has probably made the company stronger and more versatile.

For the last thirty years this winery has been a pinnacle of consistency.  They have always preferred stainless fermentation for their whites, to place the emphasis on the freshness and the fruitiness of the Chardonnay grape.  The red wines, particularly the single vineyard Cabernets, have been criticized by some as being hard and tannic, but the wines have proven over the years that they just need a little time to mellow and are actually some of the latest wines released of the vintage.  This extra bottle age gives the tannins a little time to mellow out before the wine reaches the consumer.

Freemark Abbey focuses on four varietals;  Chardonnay, Johannisberg Riesling, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Cabernet Sauvignon has three separate bottlings, each expressing slightly different characteristics.  The “Boschè” Vineyard, located in the heart of Rutherford, which is renown for its understated elegance, worldly complexity and amazing longevity.  For years the fruit for this monster style Cabernet had been sold to Beaulieu Vineyards to contribute to its Private Reserve wines, but in 1968 Boschè contacted Chuck Carpy about buying his grapes and the rest is history.  The newest addition to the Cabernet portfolio is the vineyard designated wine from the Sycamore Vineyard.  This prime piece of Cabernet property in Oakville  is owned by partner John Bryan.  Both of these wines have the potential to compete with some of the best wines being made in Napa Valley.  The 1992 & 1993 vintages of the Boschè Cabernet were both Spectator Selections, and received scores of (93) & (92) respectively in The Wine Spectator. A permanent addition to the line-up is the Napa Valley Merlot.  In 1991 this wine was added and has garnered much praise for its soft rich texture and rich berry fruit. 

For many years the winery produced only one style of Chardonnay, it was fermented in stainless steel and was admired by those who worship a fresh and fruity style of white wine with good acidity at the end.  After much coaxing, a Barrel fermented Chardonnay was added to the line.  Carpy had serious misgivings about this change in style, a staunch believer in the old adage- “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.  The new Chardonnay became known as “Carpy Ranch” and about 600 cases were produced of the 1988 introductory vintage.  Freemark Abbey also makes an excellent Johannisberg Riesling similar to a Kabinett Style German wine.  Whenever Mother Nature permits they make an exceptional late-harvest Riesling called Edelwein Gold. 

Today, Freemark Abbey is part of the late Jess Jackson empire and one thing is for sure whenever this group acquires a property they go nowhere but upo in quality.  It may take a few years to get Freemark Abbey back to its glory days of the past but there are good things on the horizon again at this historic property. 

 

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