The Wines of Franciscan Estate

We find ourselves in a quandary. What can we write about Franciscan Estate wines that will entice a reader to read on? Unfortunately, Franciscan Estate was not founded by the illegitimate third son of impoverished Bulgarian royalty or by an immigrant family who struggled to survive Prohibition and save the farm by growing prunes.

Franciscan Estate was rather undramatically founded, in 1973, by a bunch of guys who just wanted to make good wines. They acquired some land in California’s Napa County, and started growing grapes, and making wine. It was not long before their wines garnered the interest of the wine world and success followed quickly. Sorry, there is no great story, no tricky gimmicks, just good wines that have impressed the experts and wine lovers alike since its inceptions; ‘nuf said.

Franciscan Estate Winery 2010 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ($28).This is the type of Cabernet Sauvignon that has made the Franciscan Estate Winery famous; big, chewy, deep in color and full of flavor. The Franciscan Estate Winery 2010 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is a well made cab that has been crafted in the classical Bordeaux tradition. Along with the Cabernet Sauvignon, small amounts of Merlot, Syrah, and Malbec have been blended in to make the wine more approachable at an earlier age while adding greater concentration of the fruit flavors and additional depth. What resulted is a wine with a flavor shift toward the classical style of a Cabernet Sauvignon while maintaining the big fruit attributes derived from its California birthplace. The flavor and aroma emphasizes licorice, cherries, violets, and tobacco, which are accentuated by notes of black currant, dried herbs, toasted oak, and cocoa. This is a wine for current drinking or one that is perfect for laying down for several years to allow it to gain a softer, smoother, more mellow countenance. This wine is outstanding as an accompaniment to prime rib, steak, or even with the ubiquitous hamburger. it can lift the simplest of meals into a regal feast.

Franciscan Estate Winery 2012 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($18). Throughout the entire process of making this wine, extra care was taken from hand picking the grapes, to its mothering during the winemaking procedures. All of this tender loving care has resulted in an impeccable wine of outstanding character and distinction that is, in our opinion, the equal to fabled Burgundian Montrachet’s (Mon-rashay) which can sell for hundreds of dollars a bottle. The wine features the aromas of citrus, golden delicious apple, vanilla, and subtle spice from the toasted oak along with delicate mineral and lemon-lime notes. Unlike many Chardonnays, this wine has a long, fruity, interesting, and complex finish. One characteristic that is emphasized in this wine is the creamy feeling that it has in the mouth, which is truly the sign of a better wine. Try this wine with shellfish and other seafood as well as almost any chicken based meals. We thoroughly enjoyed this wine and believe that you will too.

Franciscan Estates 2011 Equilibrium White Blend Don’t look now, but Franciscan Estates has just stepped over the line; the line that separates a classically styled wine with one that takes into account the new stylistic direction toward sweeter, fruiter; wines; but not too far over that line. The Franciscan Estates 2011 Equilibrium White Blend is a blend of two classical whites’ grapes, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay with just a bit of Muscat added to impart its own special magic. The aroma is ablaze with a kaleidoscope of almost every fruit ever found in a white wine. Passion fruit, guava, and peach backed up with hints of citrus that end in a blast of honeysuckle and jasmine, which carries on to a long finish. This wine is the perfect accompany for Asiatic and Mexican foods, Cajun dishes or any other of the well spiced foods. If you are a fan of the dry wines or an aficionado of the new modern big fruit, slightly sweeter wines, you must try Equilibrium, it’s exceptional.