External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2009 and 2010 (based on 8 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 85.7 pts. and median of 86 pts. in 35 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Chef B on 12/26/2016: Tobacco. Plums. Leather. Button mushrooms. Dark deep blueberry cocoa. Firm tannins. Still drinking great. (1409 views) | | | Tasted by curiouswino42 on 1/24/2014 & rated 95 points: Earthy with a hint of cocoa on the nose, smooth & medium finish. Aged very well - surprisingly - and will added complexity. Needed to be decanted 30--60 mins. (2696 views) | | | Tasted by vinovin on 11/24/2012 & rated 89 points: Mellow tannins- great vanilla, cocoa, raspberry notes. good length. (3128 views) | | | Tasted by jwmeara on 6/3/2012 & rated 90 points: Great Ruby Red Color and Legs! Blackberry, Tripuri & Licorice in a powerful burst of taste, no aftertaste, palate cleansed immediately, better after two hours, this wine has great life left in it, glad I have four more bottles…… (3421 views) | | | Tasted by bvdpa on 11/21/2011: Kevin - Outstanding!!!! (3525 views) | | | Tasted by kultcha on 8/22/2010 & rated 88 points: Nose of toasted oak with some dark fruit. Tannins tasted a bit out of balance and came on a bit early but not enough to kill the experience. Some red cherry and blackberry showing through. This was an excellent pairing with thin crust flatbread straight from the oven. Score is based on having this with food. (2724 views) | | | Tasted by dsarendt on 1/29/2010 & rated 87 points: Thin but earthy/barn-yard nose which I like. Good colour. Anemic fruit up front. Almost no finish. (1980 views) | | | Tasted by 10izguy on 8/2/2009: very pleasant easy drinking merlot, improved after open for an hour; good value. (1545 views) | | | Tasted by jbrater on 2/26/2009 & rated 86 points: Black cherry and plums or currants forward then a light body with good balance. Above Average tannins, but they jump into action a little too early in the taste. A nice wine but for the money you can do much better. (1525 views) | | | Tasted by Al-Vino on 11/22/2008 & rated 89 points: Paired well with steak. Not complex enough to rate 90 but decent value. (1641 views) | | | Tasted by Seventy on 10/3/2008 & rated 86 points: Classic Merlot. (1643 views) | | | Tasted by pb everhard on 9/19/2008 & rated 86 points: not very impressive for the price... (1776 views) | | | Tasted by wino_tim on 7/7/2008 & rated 83 points: Pleaseantly lush on the nose with notes of blackcurrant, vanilla and oak, this is a bit light and a bit tight on the palate, finishing with some fairly dry tannins. (1618 views) | | | Tasted by AllenStewart on 4/14/2008 & rated 94 points: Wow Big fruit, cherries, plums, cloves, supple tannins. I love this wine. It was a gift, I had no idea. Try it. (2111 views) | | | Tasted by markfarrell22 on 3/19/2008 & rated 82 points: The color was a burgundy brick color. The nose had plums and red fruit and suprisingly little to no oak. A little stinky though. Taste was a bit sweet and definitely fruity with a good second burst. Mouthcoating tannins with a moderate finish. Overall a decent wine. Old-worldish. (1599 views) | | | Tasted by six sandy feet on 2/9/2008 & rated 83 points: Opened and set for 1 hour. Fragrant nose of vanilla and blueberry, but the fruit was buried beneath evident alcohol which was also present in the taste along with a hint of metal. At 3 - 4 hours, it settled nicely with vanilla, blueberry, spiced-currant on the nose and the alco-metallic tendencies were gone. Still, it is a bit thin and short with a real "tooth-coater" aftertaste. This would be a very good wine if only the taste equalled the nose. (2078 views) | | | Tasted by yonster24 on 1/24/2008 & rated 80 points: Really bad wine. On the nose immediately got Vanilla and wood with a little blueberry, but it is Waaaaay over-oaked with rough mouth puckering tannins. It over powered any fruit that this had and made it barely drinkable. Finish was short, but thankfully so. I would not buy again. Especially for 17 bucks. (2226 views) | | | Tasted by J2K on 1/16/2008 & rated 78 points: AVERAGE--Little funky upon opening which blew off in the decanter. First sniff in the glass gave some oak and vanilla. Medium body and decent balance until the aftertaste. Something just falls apart on the aftertaste. It becomes very thin and sort of a metallic taste like you licked a coin or sometimes you get that weird taste when you drink out of the hose in front of your house on a summer day. It's average wine that just doesn't hold up the whole way through. (2253 views) | | | Tasted by 4iron on 1/4/2008 & rated 88 points: pretty good, nice structure, less fruit bombesque like most cali's at this price range. dry tannins that make me think this wine has a few years ageing potential. overall a pretty darn good california merlot, reminds me of some 15-20 dollar bordeaux even. (2255 views) | | | Tasted by Ombibulous on 10/16/2007 & rated 87 points: Nice nose of fruit. Dark and opaque colour. Full bodied. Balanced between high and low notes. 13.5% abv. Good value at $17. Excellent (86.5). (2346 views) | | | Tasted by ScubaSommelier on 8/12/2007 & rated 89 points: Good structure for a merlot. would recommend it. ready to drink now. (2474 views) | | | Tasted by skiwine on 5/15/2007: 3 - Seemed Flat at first. A little harsh with an odd tast. A little better atfer a few minutes & did get smoother. But does not seem to be as good as Century Cellars. Franction of price (2424 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Franciscan Estate Producer website2004 Franciscan Estate Merlot13.5% Alcohol
Colmated CorkMerlotMerlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
|
