Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

The estate known today as Freemark Abbey was established in 1886 by one of the first female wine-growers in Napa. Today Ted Edwards is head winemaker, working for the past three decades to develop relationships with growers, allowing exclusive sourcing rights to specific plots, which is crucial to the winery’s success. This wine has been aged for 28 months in a mixture of French and American oak. Stephen Brook: Powerful blackcurrant nose, with slightly charred oak. Very rich without being jammy, it packs a punch. An assertive and very youthful style, but good acidity and tannins mean this should go the distance. Alex Hunt MW: A bit Port-like on the nose to begin with, but there is good depth and the brightness increases in the glass. The palate is succulent, appealing, and has potential to age. Very good. Stefan Neumann MS: Intense, youthful and fruit-forward nose. This is softly structured but with a good level of tannins. Violets and rose petals lead up to a lengthy finish. Great purity and clarity here.

This shows hot stones, ash, undertones of citrus, slate and oyster shell. Lots of blue fruit on the palate with licorice character to define the full body, tight yet grippy tannins and fruity yet minerally finish. Drink in 2019.

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley—blended of 78.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 5.6% Malbec and 2.2% Cabernet Franc—has a compelling perfume of dried roses, fragrant herbs and dusty earth over a core of crushed plums and blackberries with a waft of tobacco. Medium-bodied, lively and expressive in the mouth, it has a pleasant pluminess accented by herb and earth notions, finishing long and chewy.

Tangled in its tannins when first opened, this wine requires a day of air to take shape. The acidity hits the tannins with the spark if crushed stone, while flavors of tart plum and peach skin fill out the hard edges. Blended from 20 vineyards and five varieties (it's 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, with merlot, franc, petit verdot and malbec), this needs bottle age to soften.

From several vineyard sites and combining all five red Bordeaux varieties, this wine is fermented in stainless steel before it rests over two years in both French and American oak. Powerful, it retains an elegance amid a tannic, grippy entry of toasted oak and black cherry, and a rich textured finish accented in cinnamon and chocolate.