Franciscan Estate, Chardonnay, California

Franciscan Estate · California › United States of America

White · Chardonnay
Sign in to rate Create your cellar
LWIN 1994229
Critics Average score from professional wine critics and publications.
87 /100
Reviews
16
professional

Vintages

No vintages

No vintage-specific entries have been added for this wine.

NV

Community Reviews

16
16
Reviews
87.0
Avg Score
91
Highest
Taster #9302 · May 16, 2012
90/100
Nice bottle, which was ready to drink some time ago. Very buttery.
2006 vintage
Taster #8073 · Feb 3, 2011
86/100
A very average chard, nothing exciting or very flawed. Some nice apple and light touch of oak. ($12)
2006 vintage
Taster #9368 · Sep 28, 2010
87/100
On the second day - Some buttered popcorn action but not too crazy with it. Some spritzy citrus and minerals coming through on the finish. Pretty nice for a Cali Chard. Perhaps I'll have to warm back up to these.
2006 vintage
Taster #0517 · Jan 10, 2010
91/100
A pleasant surprise. Picked it up at a big box grocery store for $12.99 on sale ($7 off retail), and was thrilled to find not a butter bomb but a medium-full-bodied chard with ripe tropical fruit (pineapple, mango) balanced by nice smoke and mineral notes and a firm, acidic structure.
2006 vintage
Taster #4758 · Nov 26, 2009
88/100
Cream, Butter and Oak. Big but simple CA chard. What's not to like?
2006 vintage
Taster #5892 · Apr 19, 2009
89/100
Light golden color. Nose: peach, caramel apple, vanilla, and lemon peel. Palate: pineapple contrasted with green apple framed with buttered popcorn, a twist of lime, and a hint of toffee. Stony minerality and white pepper on the finish. Very good length. Outstanding focus and balance. Fine value.
2006 vintage
Taster #7266 · Mar 1, 2009
88/100
I enjoyed this wine. I drink mostly reds but this wine was easy to drink.
2006 vintage
Taster #1518 · Feb 1, 2009
87/100
Inoffensive, buttery chardonnay, that was easy to drink.
2006 vintage
Taster #6488 · Nov 26, 2008
87/100
Malolactic, some oak, enough fruit to help keep the oak in check. Butterscotch, pineapple.
2006 vintage
Taster #5792 · Jun 26, 2008
79/100
I wish I had the same experience as many of these tasters. But I found this innocuous at best. Not a lot of flavor. Not a great deal of oak, but the lack of anything else made the oak more prominant. Tasted watered down. Disapointing. This reminded me of why I didn't used to like Chard, because they would taste like this.
2006 vintage
Taster #1789 · Jun 1, 2008
88/100
Delicious chardonnay, very fragrant nose of lemon, grapefruit and butterscotch. Smooth balance, creamy, grapefruit, butter, and a bit of kiwi on the pallet. Nice finish. Keeps you wanting more.
2006 vintage
Taster #4858 · Apr 25, 2008
85/100
Light golden color with tropical and citrus notes on the nose. Creamy mouthfeel with a bit of melted butter on the finish. There isn't much oak influence but there was definitely some malolactic fermentation which gives it the creamy texture. For the money, this is pretty decent. We used some for cooking a white wine sauce and drank the rest.
2006 vintage
Taster #1450 · Apr 13, 2008
87/100
A bright and fruity style showing a lot of oak-edged pear and pineapple fruit. Medium bodied and creamy on the palate, though a touch astringent on the finish, this is a solid showing for the price.
2006 vintage
Taster #1450 · Feb 15, 2008
87/100
Rich and buttery with round notes of melted butter and cream cheese. There's a degree of vinticultural restraint showing on the palate that makes this fun to drink.
2006 vintage
Taster #0611 · Dec 17, 2007
86/100
So tasty that we sprung for a case of this. Good fruit, hints of stone fruits. Not much oak. Should age gracefully for a couple of years
2006 vintage
Taster #3375 · Feb 10, 2003
87/100
A pretty nice chardonnay. Some strong oak notes, but not overpowering. Some good grape flavor. Served to Sean McGrath at interview, with duck, sweet potatoes, and asparagus. A good meal; a reasonable wine.
1999 vintage