Scott Cowan

8.9

Good deal at Costco. Big wine will likely drink better in 2022-2025. Might then merit 9.2+ rating, but I’m not ready to bet big on that and buy a bunch b/c the vanillan is too damn strong and takes too long to off-gas. Vanilla from the French Oak would be wonderful, but this has that fake vanilla that sticks in the back of the throat and destroys the wine straight out of the bottle, at least for now, Nov 9, 2020. HOWEVER, after a whirl around the blender (= decant for hours) things drastically improved. The next day = MUCH better. No more fake vanilla aftertaste at all. Next day notes: Big entry w/ some heat I bet on 15% alcohol. This heat returns to linger nicely on the lush finish. Lush is the right word: Dark fruits, plum, blackberry, with a hint of stems/leaves too. Tobacco, allspice, black pepper come in mid palate and stick around a while too. Ok. Well worth buying two bottles to lay down :-) — 5 years ago

RustyR

9.2

Still great. Past prime. Lost some acid and brightness. But sage and violet. Not the usual spice of delectus. Very soft tannins mid palate. — 7 years ago

Ben Edwards

9.2

A replacement for the Pairing as a Marry Edwards regular bottle. Definitely sharper and less pronounced stone fruit, but nicely balanced and went well with all dinner courses. Bottles went too fast to see how they opened, so questionable still as a stand-alone (probably great); high marks for elevating the usual crisp white wine dishes. — 7 years ago

Cameron Myhrvold

9.3

One of my favorite northern california syrahs. This guy was pungent and leathery. I had to check the bottle to make sure i wasnt drinking a Cayuse. — 8 years ago

Dave Montagne

9.1

Thank you Michael! Very nice CF!
— 9 years ago

Dan Horowitz

9.1

Nice, honey and morning meadow — 10 years ago

MS A

9.6

Wine club wine #3. Favorite of wine club so far. Not too fruity or bold. Middle of the road in flavor. — 10 years ago

Donny Sebastiani

Owner, Don Sebastiani & Sons

8.9

Really nice wine. Pleasant surprise. Merlot driven blend, always thought that varietal does well there. A "big" merlot. Lots of extract. A bit hot alc. very ripe. — 10 years ago

Mike Anderson

Owner/Winemaker for MTGA Wines

8.9

Pretty solid. It definitely kept me coming back for more. It has been a while since a big Cab Sauv has made my taste buds perk up. — 11 years ago

Punky Mahle

9.7

Thanks Yoon - awesome recommendation — 12 years ago

Andrea Wilson @farmforthesoul

9.1

So delicious! High end but it was on sale so I tried it and then snagged a few more! If you haven’t tried out of Sonoma County, you really should. It surprised me! — 5 years ago

with Jeremy

Riccardo L.

9.0

Cherry nose and pine tree palate. Herbal blend reminiscent of Mt. Veeder cabs. Nice depth. — 7 years ago

Melanie Callen

9.2

2014 fantastic — 7 years ago

Peter Montoleone

9.1

Full-bodied little bit of smoking spice big dark red fruit — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

The history of Freemark Abbey began in 1886, when Josephine Marlin Tychson became the first woman to build and operate a winery in California. The historic site where Josephine's winery, Tychson Cellars, once stood is now known as Freemark Abbey. A blend of 83.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.2% Merlot, 4.4% Malbec, & 3% Petit Verdot, dark red with dark berry fruit aromas. On the palate cherry and blackberry flavors with bits of leather, cacao and oak notes. Tannins are soft and balanced with acidity. Nice. — 8 years ago

Sommelara

9.0

From the jewel of Knights Valley in our beautiful Sonoma AVA. — 9 years ago

B P Woodrow

9.4

Fabulous with ribeye and family. — 10 years ago

Ralph Dandrea

9.5

2010 vintage — 10 years ago

with Colleen

Peter Marks

Master of Wine, Educator Constellation Brands

8.9

Pretty mix of fresh herbs, melon and grapefruit. — 11 years ago

Nolan LaBrucherie

9.8

Scrumditlyioumtions! — 12 years ago

with Nick

Nils Johnson

9.0

Hmmmm. Dark plums and currants and cedar and tobacco. Damn! — 12 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.3

So, I’m of the opinion that Gerhard Reisacher’s sweet spot is Cabernet Franc. This 2009 isn’t quite as good as his 2007 - that is the best 100% cab franc I’ve ever had - but this is damn close. No trace of the bell pepper you typically get from people picking the fruit too early, this is a terrific wine with notes of something reminiscent of roasted chipotle pepper, black pepper, and currant. Medium-to-full bodied palate with a silky, mouthfilling feel leading to a lingering finish. This is nothing like a cab franc from The Loire - pure California - but a terrific wine nonetheless. Winemakers would do well to take lessons from Gerhart on how to handle this varietal. — 6 years ago

with Vanessa

Shay A

9.2

This had a bit of VA to blow off at first. Lot of funk too. Old fig, graham cracker, stewed red and black fruits. A lot of plum and dates in the finish. Tannin structure was strong as was acidity. I’d enjoy these fairly soon. — 7 years ago

with Dan and Mark

Amasaur Kellasaur

9.5

This is one of my favorite sauvignon blancs so far! — 8 years ago

with Jasasaur

Jeff Hollinden

9.5

Beautiful. Incredibly well balanced. — 9 years ago

Eric Waxman

9.1

Still in good shape which is no easy task for a 2004 California Chard — 10 years ago

Eric Hwang

9.2

My last bottle of the wine that introduced me to Helen's wines. Aromas of herbs, lavender, fall leaves, and smoked meat. Savory black fruit, black olives, and a smooth tannic finish. So sad that I don't have any more. — 10 years ago

DAG

9.4

Amazing Bordeaux blend of Sauv. Blanc and Semillion. It has a very viscous mouth feel which reminded me of an SQN wine. — 10 years ago

Julien Fayard

Owner/Winemaker Azur Wines, Winemaker Purlieu

9.3

Knights valley gem!
— 11 years ago

Andrew McPherson

9.6

Nummy with a 24 day dry aged grass fed ribeye. — 12 years ago