Timeline
1886
Josephine Tychson became the first female winery owner on record in Napa, building the original redwood winery on our property.
1898
The winery was purchased by Antonio Forni, a good friend of Josephine's. He re-named the winery Lombarda Cellars, after his birthplace in Italy. In 1899 he constructed the stone winery, made of hand-strewn stones from nearby Glass Mountain. This historic winery structure is still used for barrel storage today.
1939
The winery is closed for twenty years during prohibition, until three businessmen from Southern California, Charles Freeman, Marquand Foster and Albert "Abbey" Ahem, purchased Lombarda Cellars and combined their names to re-open the winery as Freemark Abbey.
1968
Seven partners purchased the winery - Dick Heggie, Brad Webb, Bill Jaeger, Frank Laurie Wood, Jim Warren, Chuck Carpy, and John Bryan. Freemark Abbey's signature style of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon was introduced under the management and expertise of this group and the winery earned the name "University of Freemark."
1970
Freemark Abbey has been sourcing exclusively from the dry-farmed Bosché vineyard since 1970. Our Bosché single-vineyard bottling remains one of our most coveted Cabernets.
1976
Freemark Abbey was one of twelve American wineries selected to participate in the historic Judgment of Paris tasting of 1976 – the only winery with both a red and white wine chosen to compete.
1984
The first vintage of Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Freemark Abbey has been sourcing fruit from this Biodynamically-farmed vineyard on the Rutherford Bench every year since.
1985
Ted Edwards was named Winemaker. As the Napa Valley has become synonymous with world-class wine growing regions, Ted has stayed true to his winemaking style, commitment to his craft and passion for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Today
For nearly thirty years, people have identified Freemark Abbey by its simple elegance. To honor our history and the history of the Napa Valley, we returned to our roots with an updated version of our oversized label, including the iconic image of the lone oak and stone cellar. Completed in 2009, our newly remodeled Tasting Room features, arguably, the most extensive collection of library Cabernets of any Napa Valley winery, as well as a private library tasting area for one-on-one experiences.
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