Estate Blog
Discovering the Best Napa Valley Vineyards
Over the last few decades, as California has developed a worldwide reputation for its wines, a handful of the best Napa Valley vineyards like Bosché and Sycamore can be credited with helping drive this phenomenon.
From Judgment of Paris to Napa Valley Wine Icon
“We were innovative back then, and we continue to be, but it’s always been about, ‘How can we make the best wine possible?’ It’s not chasing fads. Our involvement in the Judgment of Paris and the continuation of that style define who we are as a winery.” - Chris Jahns, Freemark Abbey Direct to Consumer Manager
Ted Edwards, Wine Librarian
Involved with Freemark Abbey since the 1980 harvest and named its head winemaker in 1985, Ted has enjoyed a stellar career at one of Napa Valley’s most storied properties. In addition to steering the winemaking ship all of this time, he gets to monitor his (and his predecessors’) wines’ development in the bottle. “Every so often we go through and pull open a bottle of everything,” he said. “We like to see how it’s holding up, what its qualities are and characteristics and such. So I have notes on all of these vintages.”
Do You Know How to Use a Cork Puller? a.k.a. Ah-So, a.k.a. Waiter’s Fork
First, place the long “tine” between the inside of the neck and the cork. Don’t push too hard or too far, just about 3mm. Gently pull back on the long “tine” just enough to be able to position the short “tine” between the cork and the neck. In a slow side to side ‘rocking’ motion, gently push the Ah-So into the bottle, one tine at a time. Emphasis on gentle. Once the Ah-So is all the way in, hold the bottle firmly. Twist and pull all at once. The cork should easily come out.
Library Wines... 3 Common Mistakes
If you are reading this you have become the proud owner of one of our beautiful Library Cabernet Sauvignons. To ensure a perfect fulfillment of promise please read this short guide for some ideas of what to do, what not to do and what to expect and not expect. As wine is very new to a large segment of the US population, library wine can be even more of a mystery. Hopefully the following passages will allow the mystery to vanish.
Soil to Soil
The Napa Valley was formed over time, through shifting of tectonic plates, volcanic activity and the flooding of the San Pablo Bay. This set of unique geological occurrences gave way to an amazing mix of soils that allow Napa to produce wines of remarkable quality. In this small Valley, we have half of the Earth’s soil types, over 100 soil variations and 33 soil series.