Chronicles Of Consumption

1968 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon

Hurrah! The experimental tasting of the '68 Freemark Abbey Cabernet turned out pretty well actually. I must be honest, often when I have tried older US Cabs I have been very pleasantly surprised by how well they have held up. A couple of examples that spring to mind immediately are the '70 Mondavi, the '86 Montelena and the '87 Dominus. But unfortunately when you get into the early '90s, the style changes, the wines become more fruit-driven with lower acidity levels and they just don't seem to hold up so well (the '93 Beringer Private Reserve was fading badly when I tried it recently being just one example).

So to this particular wine, my first impressions of this wine before opening were that it could be good, given the high fill level and the impeccable provenance that I knew it had. My thoughts that it was browning turned out to be wrong though, it had a medium ruby/garnet core, which faded to a dusty red brick rim with only a very slight hint of brown. The nose was unexpectedly intense and surprisingly fruit-driven; a good amount of red fruit - currants, berries and cherries - plus a little smoke, cedar and leather, with just a touch of oxidation, but nothing unpleasant at all. The palate was dominated by sour red cherries and redcurrants, with the cedar and leather coming through on the medium+ length finish. Quite light in body with a very soft texture and fully resolved tannins, it isn't a wine of huge depth or intensity, but it has impeccable balance, good complexity and lovely flavours, and for its age it has a refreshingly vibrancy. In addition, after 3 hours of being open there were no signs that it was falling over at all. It is without doubt one of the most interesting wines I have tasted recently, and is certainly holding up far better than I had anticipated. A splendid drink indeed, and I thank the donors of this fine wine very much.

1968 Freemark Abbey - What Will It Be Like?

A potentially interesting bottle of 1968 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley came into my possession today, and I have no idea at all about how it will taste. It looks to be in absolutely impeccable condition,  with the fill level well into the neck, and having been stored in the same place for a very long time. It could, of course, taste like complete shite, but then again it might, just might, hold some interesting wine inside. It looks pretty brown from first look, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, so we will see. I will try it sometime this week, and will report back forthwith. If anyone knows anything about this wine, or has tried it, then please let me know...

A Few American Wines Feb 7 2010

There were also a few American wines at the same tasting (see post below), but you have to understand that it was still before midday on a Sunday, and I had been vigorously tasting the ancient Bordeaux beforehand, so if I approached these wines with anything less than intense enthusiasm, then you will have to forgive me. Sadly I did not make my way through all of these, but this is what I thought of the ones I liked:

1970 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon: Showing extremely well, still had a pretty intense nose of game, black fruit and earth, and a complex and evolving palate, rich yet refined, with fine tannins and clear acidity that balanced the other strong flavours very well. An excellent wine. The surprise of the tasting for me.

1987 Dominus: Had a dark ruby core with a red-brick rim, a very refined nose, floral, earthy, black cherry and currants, tobacco. Dark fruit, leather, cedar and lots of earthy minerality on the palate, with balanced tannins and acidity. Splendid indeed.

If only they still made Napa cabs in these styles..

The only other wine I thought would be worth sharing with you was the 1995 Fess Parker Syrah, which was a very well-balanced wine. It had a huge nose of sweet black fruit, a little game and marzipan(?), which was dense and rich on the palate, with excellent acidity and big tannins. A very good wine indeed if you like this style.

Right, I'm done now, you can put the knives away, and roll down your sleeves...