I’ve bought this wine for a number of years now, after tasting it at a Society for American Wines event. This one is dark in color with a mild nose of cherries. On the mid palate the wine displays nice red cherries to match the nose. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice smooth tannins and dryness. This is a smooth well made wine, but perhaps not as fruit forward as past years. I would give it an 88 or so. We paired it with a Maltese baked macaroni and it went well and complemented the meal nicely.
From the LCBO web site:
Frei Brothers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 — VINTAGES#: 38075
STYLE – Full-bodied & Smooth
This is a fairly big and assertive, but well-structured and balanced cabernet that exemplifies the move, among upper-tier wines everywhere, away from an emphasis on fruit-power toward more nuanced and versatile styles. This one shows that concentrated flavours and full body are not inconsistent with those styles. You’ll fine good definition, and breadth as well as depth in the fruit, well-proportioned acidity, and ripe, slightly grippy tannins. The whole package is very successful. It’s drinking very well now, but will evolve for a few years. I would drink it by 2020. Score – 4 1/2 Stars (out of 5). (Rod Phillips, rodphillipsonwine.com, May 14, 2015) $26.95
Release Date: May 16, 2015
Alcohol/Vol 14.2% Made in: California, USA By: E. & J. Gallo Winery Sugar Content:7 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry Style: Full-bodied & Smooth Description: While the hillside vineyards of cool-climate Alexander Valley are home to a range of crisp and aromatic white wine grapes, the gravel-rich valley floor is all about Cabernet. This robustly flavoured and textured wine shows why. Enjoy it over the next 3-5 years with grilled meats or tomato pastas.
