Franciscan Estate Magnificat 2013
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James
Suckling -
Wine &
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Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A bright and balanced red with currant, plum, chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Pretty length and control to this. A blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon with some merlot, malbec and cabernet franc. Drink or hold.
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Wine & Spirits
Mostly cabernet sauvignon (73 percent), this blend improves markedly with air. It starts out tarry and black, with hard edges of extract. Scents of violets emerge as the fruit gains purple richness. A day later, it feels cool, with a chaparral-like greenness and firm tannins completely saturated by the fruit so they don’t feel astringent. Best to cellar this, or give it plenty of time in a decanter if you open the bottle now.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2013 Franciscan Estate Magnificat is all about red fruit and elegance. The wine's medium body and lively presence make it an excellent choice with lighter meats. Drinks well now. (Tasted: October 24, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2014-
Tasting
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James
Suckling
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Wilfred
Wong -
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Wine &
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Enthusiast
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Wine &
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Franciscan was founded in 1972 by a group of lawyers and doctors from San Francisco who decided to try turning their passion for wine into a business. In 1985, Agustin Huneeus, a Chilean exile who had built Concha y Toro in his native country, took over the helm at Franciscan. Huneeus refocused the winery on using the superlative grapes growing in its own vineyards, rather than sourcing from outside.
Today, Franciscan's wines are crafted under the exacting eye of Janet Myers, who came to Franciscan in August 2003 as associate winemaker after working in the Margaret River region and Beaulieu Vineyard, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and Louis Martini. The winery remains committed to its tradition of small-lot winemaking, with small batches averaging just 150 to 1,500 cases. The image of a hand-operated wine press on Franciscan's logo and wine labels reflects this small lot approach to winemaking.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.