1983 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 87 points

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  5/6/2022 - Ravi Deshpande Likes this wine:

  Bright, clean and very well poised old Cali. As is typical for the house, the fruit is subdued, but it was very balanced and elegant - pleasing to drink. A slight funk that would have blown on in a couple of hours of breathing

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  4/23/2019 - Josch48 Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Well cellared with ullage in the top shoulder into the lower neck. Cork wet on bottom only and otherwise completely dry, crumbly and completely destroyed with opening, necessitating paper filtration giving the wine a quick aeration. Color deep red opacity without even having orange tint at the wine’s edge in the glass. Wonderful nose of dried cherry, herbs and flowers, pencil shavings, no wet saddle, Bordeaux style California Cabernet without the Brett, in the way of the old Napa masters’ alchemy. Sweet, slightly dried fruit initially and progressing gently through mid-palate and a lingering finish reminiscent of 1980s Robert Mondavi reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. 12.9% alcohol reinforces the frustration with the high octane offerings of today, thank you Mr. Parker, et al. This Bosche’ is all about finesse and elegance which seems to be all but lost with the highly gratifying but somewhat unidimensional and muscled fruit bombs extant today. I’m guessing my case of R.M. Reserve cabs, 1981-1986 may well be worth the wait. Drinking this wine was a privilege most appreciated. Note the price sticker.

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  11/24/2011 - wconnolly wrote: 80 Points

  Very small drinking window on this past prime shipment from Freemark wine club. Nice color with slight bricking on the rim. Musty, old style nose. Demonstrated some fruit after an hour and a half but was gone in 30 minutes. Showed none of the eucalyptus, mint and mocha that typifies Freemark's Bosche. I have had old Freemarks (as old as a wonderful '78 Napa). This was an underachiever.

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  12/24/2009 - rbfleming wrote: 88 Points

  Beautiful cork. Brick red wine with great legs. Nose of berries. Blackberry on the palate. Past prime, but not that far past, I think. Christmas Eve: what could be better?

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