Winery - Abeja
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Even in a high acid vintage such as 2008, this is rich, almost oily, a full-throttle wine well-endowed with full-bodied fruit flavor. Though 50% new oak is used, the barrels are bigger (92 gallons instead of 55) which reduces the toastiness. A wine that will not disappoint fans of the John Abbott/Abeja style.
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Abeja Chardonnay - 2008
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A stiff, tightly structured wine that could pass for Cabernet Sauvignon in most parts of the world. Cranberry and raspberry fruit vies with herb, black olive and dark smoky tannins for palate dominance. This is a wine to savor and to cellar.
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Abeja Merlot - 2007
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This new vintage of Abeja’s estate-grown Viognier is back to a richer mouthfeel after the high acid 2008, with generous citrus and stone fruits—peach and pear—candied lemon and pineapple, highlighted with cinnamon spice. Flat out yummy, roundly fruity, and long-lasting, with butterscotch ruling the finish.
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Abeja Viognier - 2009
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Fresh and firm, with juicy primary fruits that meld together flavors of tropical and stone fruits—a riot of papaya, peach, pineapple, candied lemon and more. The butterscotch barrel notes glide into the mid-palate and coat the back of the throat, resonating long after the wine is swallowed. Based on previous vintages, this is a surefire six to eight year wine for cellaring.
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Abeja Chardonnay - 2009
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This 100% Merlot is sourced from Sagemoor Farms’ Bacchus and Dionysus vineyards. For the first time, there is no Cabernet Franc in the blend. Richly fruity, with loads of cherry, raspberry compote and black currant flavors, this melds in grace notes of chocolate and caramel, seamlessly. Thick and flat-out luscious, yet structured with a tannic spine that gives definition and focus all the way through.
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Abeja Merlot - 2008
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Thick and dense, it’s a perfect companion to the winery’s current release of Merlot, though they are a year apart in vintage. This Cabernet has slight intimations of herb and black olive, and is tightly focused with very dark cassis and plum fruit flavors. It’s a wine to cellar, as it is still a little hot and tightly wound.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Sourced from old-vine Bacchus and Weinbau fruit, this also includes 20% grapes from the estate’s Heather Hill vineyard. The aromas are dense and penetrating, with a powerful mix of black fruits, ripe berries, smoke, earth, olive and coffee. From the first sniff to the last swallow, the flavors are beautifully integrated and the effect symphonic.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Abeja’s John Abbott belongs on anyone’s short list of Washington’s most talented winemakers. This supple, dense Cabernet is restrained for the vintage, but lacks nothing in terms of power, muscle or complexity. Tar, smoke and gravel run right down its spine; tannins are substantial. But everything about the wine says class, and its compact confidence rewards patient tasters with layers of ripe, varietal flavor, perfectly matched to the oak.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Co-fermented with 3% Viognier, this estate-grown Syrah is front-loaded with bacon fat flavors. The tannins are still a bit astringent and chewy, but this wine has a ton of rich, earthy flavor. Mushroom, moist earth, black cherry, black raspberry, coffee, black olive—it’s all good. Give it another couple of years to smooth out.
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Abeja Syrah - 2008
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Delicious and immediately appealing with fresh strawberry and Bing cherry fruit, leading into sweet toasty oak and the precisely detailed tannins that characterize John Abbott’s winemaking. The old vine fruit brings subtle grace notes as the wine moves through the palate—a dash of pepper, a whiff of herb, a brambly old vine finish with a hint of black tea.
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