So, if you're going to go to Napa, know what you're going for. Napa Valley is the land of big Cabs, good Merlots, and complex Meritages (or their kin). If you can resist the impulse to hit the brand names you recognize, then you'll likely find the real heart and soul of Napa Valley Cabs. One ventricle of that heart is at Freemark Abbey. Where most Napa Valley wineries will charge you for tastings, the $20 here is worth it, and they'll vacate the charge with a bottle purchase.
We tasted seven wines at Freemark and they were all very good. The reserve tasting introduces you to wines in the complete price range. This is another good opportunity to get calibrated on the correlation between price and quality. Once you've tasted a $35 cab, then $50, then $75, you start to understand there are real steps in the quality. Whether the steps are linear, consistent, or compatible to your wallet is for you to decide. Nonetheless, you'll get a clear impression of what "ranges" to fit wines within.
With the copious amounts we'd tasted to this point, and the later in the day it was getting, we lost our discipline for note-taking. If I could scan the sheet of notes we did take, you'd be more amused than by what I'll try to convey from my recollection! I have other crib notes on it (supplied by the winery) that I'll dig out later and update this with.
1995 Sycamore Vineyard
Nice, with a smooth cherry nose, and hints of tobacco. I do enjoy this aroma combination in a wine.
2004 Sycamore Vineyard
2005 Bosche Vineyard : $70/$70
The best value of the lot, and that's saying quite a bit, given the price point.
2006 Bootleg :
A very accessible wine at a very reasonable price.
There were more, but my note-taking was terrible. I'll have a better recollection when I find the winery's wine notes.
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