Franciscan Estate Magnificat Meritage 2018
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This Napa Valley wine features Cabernet Sauvignon which provides a full mouthfeel, dark fruit and spice notes. True to Meritage blends, the addition of classic Bordeaux style varieties gives the wine roundness, structure, and a rich complexity.
Blend: 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc
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Wine Enthusiast
Concentrated but supple, this quietly powerful wine cradles massive black and blue fruits in velvety tannins while soaking the palate with blueberries, cocoa and black figs. Made with 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is tempting to drink now for its undeniable richness, but is built for the long haul, too. Best from 2028-2040.
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.