Franciscan Estate, Magnificat, Napa Valley
Franciscan Estate · California › Napa Valley › United States of America
Critics Average score from professional wine critics and publications.
90
/100
Reviews
70
professional
Vintages
No vintages
NV
Community Reviews
5151
Reviews
89.7
Avg Score
98
Highest
Taster #2225
· Aug 11, 2020
95/100
Julie loved it
2000 vintage
Taster #6736
· Jan 11, 2020
93/100
Holly cow, it’s good. Still a beautiful color, lively fruit, and mild tannins. Using the Coravin on this puppy. Cork did seem very soft as I punched through. Handle with care!
2003 vintage
Taster #1430
· Dec 23, 2018
92/100
Should be a cab blend. Not Pinot. Bordeaux blend. Lots of life left. Medium body. Dried cherries.
2000 vintage
Taster #8124
· Dec 8, 2018
94/100
Drank a 750ml bottle in December, 2018. Wonderful vintage Franciscan Estate wine. Still has a very long tannic gripping finish and does not taste like it has gone downhill yet. If you have this now I would say drink asap though. This is my 4th 15+ old bottle from Franciscan and while the wine seamed efficiently sealed from outside air in this 2003 the cork was very weak and kind of broke in the middle as I was pulling it …
2003 vintage
Taster #1430
· Feb 15, 2018
88/100
Ok nose. Smooth wine with a easy finish. Very drinkable.
2000 vintage
Taster #8499
· Jan 12, 2018
98/100
Can a wine be 100? This is truly a magnificent bottle to me. The recommended Hold to Drink is 2006-2011 for the bottle of 2003. I consumed it on March 2016. It was the most appropriate and comfortable to enjoy it at home. I poured the wine into a decanter slowly and steady to let it breath in the decanter for several hours while I am cooking a braised oxtail in another red wine. I was rewarded with the effort. …
2003 vintage
Taster #7245
· Feb 25, 2017
91/100
slow out of the chute, but evolved nicely once poured, dark red fruits, mild tobacco, leather & licorice, well balanced
2000 vintage
Taster #5629
· Jan 11, 2017
90/100
Crimson color. Medium to full body with medium tannins and good legs. Nose is delightful with deep currant/blackberry and medium alcohol notes. Moderate sediment. Nice long finish. Very, very good, in my opinion.
2003 vintage
Taster #3194
· Dec 25, 2016
92/100
Enjoyed as a 3L with others for Christmas. Poured into a decanter for the sole purpose of removing sediment, beautiful color of aged wine that was beginning to lose color. Lighter body color for a meritage, calm floral nose of well intergrated fruit, oak, alcohol. Subtle fruit on the front as each of the varietals came together without any single one being dominant. Mature finish as the petit verdot did its job and retained just enough tannin to provide an …
2003 vintage
Taster #3200
· Dec 25, 2014
93/100
Great times with this beast. Still full bodied and robust!
2003 vintage
Taster #0230
· Sep 15, 2012
89/100
needed an hour to open up, but great aged blend with plenty of fruit and earth
2003 vintage
Taster #0775
· Feb 14, 2012
87/100
Well past it's prime. A bit flat & dull on the finish. Our bad for letting it sit TOO long.
2000 vintage
Taster #1789
· Dec 31, 2011
91/100
Drinking perfectly right now even though it's at the end of the drinking window. Vibrant, rich dark fruits, full mouth feel and a smooth but long finish. A beautiful red blend.
2003 vintage
Taster #8520
· Nov 11, 2011
89/100
Tobacco predominates, tannins are well-smoothed, past prime, but still held some old world enjoyabilty for me
2000 vintage
Taster #3335
· May 8, 2011
91/100
Drinking great. If you still have some you will enjoy it.
2003 vintage
Taster #7738
· Feb 27, 2011
89/100
Drinking very well.
2003 vintage
Taster #7169
· Oct 31, 2010
85/100
A little past its prime. Hardly any fruit but came across as old world.
2000 vintage
Taster #6290
· Jul 3, 2010
87/100
Disappointing. Very vegatile nose. Berry and dark fruit flavor
2003 vintage
Taster #0395
· Jun 27, 2010
88/100
Serviceable. Susan was not impressed initially but this has decent fruit and structure, no wow but OK.
2003 vintage
Taster #6267
· Jun 6, 2010
Drank on 3rd anniversary...enjoyed the next day aswell
2003 vintage
Taster #4098
· May 4, 2010
90/100
I drank this on Saturday with strip steak, tequila/cilantro shrimp and risotto. Of course this gets 90 points. I have had great experiences with the Magnificat. It's a nice blend that ages gracefully and has great consistency. It never shocks the world but it's always good.
2000 vintage
Taster #4846
· Mar 14, 2010
90/100
Drank this out of magnums. A very nice, typical Oakville Cab.
2003 vintage
Taster #6363
· Jan 17, 2010
87/100
Cokor: Ruby red - rather thin looking Nose: Plum and tobacco Taste: OVerwhelming smokey taste, with oakd and leather with a dash of Plum FInish: Rather biting with dry tannins. Not a really enjoyable wine - way too much smoke and not enough fruit shining through. The finish was harsh. DO NOT REPURCHASE _ DO NOT PURCHASE IN A RESTAURANT.
2003 vintage
Taster #5500
· Jan 10, 2010
89/100
wonderful bottle, smooth and well rounded
2003 vintage
Taster #4430
· Jan 5, 2010
91/100
Susan's 51st birthday
2000 vintage
Taster #7738
· Nov 26, 2009
89/100
Dark center, red rim with some sings of age. Sweet napa bordeaux blend nose, cassis and plums. Smooth, mature - some funk (but pleasant), acid and tannins under control, good length. Drink now.
2000 vintage
Taster #2659
· Nov 4, 2009
89/100
Enjoyed from a 375ml. Popped and poured. Nice aromas of blackberries, tea leaf, soy and balsamic glaze. Quite enjoyable on the palate. Showing slight signs of age. Nice very light reductive notes. Good.
2003 vintage
Taster #1993
· Oct 25, 2009
91/100
Really opened up after thirty minutes. Went well with Axis Tenderloin. Some herb notes with a nice bit of acidity and tannic structure left. Drinking well right now. 91+
2003 vintage
Taster #7169
· Apr 27, 2009
90/100
Never disappointed with this wine whatever the vintage is. Blackberry, smoke, oak, and just the right amount of tannins.
2000 vintage
Taster #1456
· Mar 31, 2009
90/100
Drank with roast lamb and surprisingly, it was great.
2000 vintage
Taster #2104
· Jan 28, 2009
89/100
Much better on night 2...
2003 vintage
Taster #3200
· Dec 26, 2008
90/100
Decanted for 2 hours to let it open a bit, but the reality is that it probably needs a day or so. Strong oak finish and the high acidity in the wine masked some of the flavor. Overall a good wine, but still young. It will be a jammy bomb soon, but I think I'll let my last one sit for a couple of years.
2003 vintage
Taster #8058
· Dec 17, 2008
90/100
Drank over one hour. Nice, jammy nose of very ripe blackberry, currant & a hint of smokiness. Fruit forward palate with a touch of earthiness and soft tannins on the back and into the long finish. Paired very well with braised short ribs.
2003 vintage
Taster #2659
· Nov 27, 2008
91/100
Very nice dark fruit. Very fruit forward with nice leather components on the midpalate. Moderate to high alcohol with moderate tannins. A couple years has helped soften this wine out a bit giving it a rounder finish. Very elegant. Actually paired pretty well with Thanksgiving dinner!
2003 vintage
Taster #3089
· Oct 26, 2008
86/100
2008 Epcot Food and Wine Vertical Tasting: 73% Merlot, only 22% Cab Sauv and it shows in this wine. Apparently, Franciscan had trouble ripening their Cab this vintage. They also made 24 K cases which was more than double any of the previous vintages. Nice nose with much more cherry than plum. Also much more lead shavings. A juicy attack the smoothly fades to a wine structured more with acidity than tannins. Smooth somewhat short minerally finish. Better as a …
2000 vintage
Taster #3089
· Oct 26, 2008
86/100
2008 Epcot Food and Wine Vertical Tasting: 71% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot, 2% Cab Franc, 2% Malbec. Very tight nose again. This wine is much darker and dryer than the others in this tasting. Mouth coating tannins with nice dark plum/prune fruit fading to bitter dark chocolate. Drinking extremely youing right now, but should evolve. (C+/B-).
2003 vintage
Taster #1256
· Sep 14, 2008
89/100
Nose of earth and pepper, palate is a bit spicy and as noted by others a bit tannic. However, I thought the tannins were under control and added to the complexity of the wine. With a little open time notes of dark berry and tobacco were noted on the palate. A nice medium long finish.
2003 vintage
Taster #9001
· Jul 28, 2008
90/100
Color is garnet with a brownish hue. Day one showed cherries on the nose and spicy dark fruit on the palate with a decent amount of tannin. Day two the nose was more subdued, but the flavors had shifted to cedar and smoke and tannins were more in balance. Overall, I'm not sure the fruit will hang around long enough to allow the tannins to fully mellow. Definitely good, but not a truly great wine.
2000 vintage
Taster #1900
· May 1, 2008
87/100
big oak at first, but that fades pretty fast. Typical for 2000 in the sense that its big fruit, but it’s pretty good for the year. Pretty decent tannins. not a bad middle of the road cabernet. Better than expected
2000 vintage
Taster #5010
· Apr 18, 2008
88/100
Really needed to breathe, but even then was not really up to the level that I would have expected in this price range. It was a 2000 but aging should not have been the issue
2000 vintage
Taster #6350
· Feb 6, 2008
The nose of the wine was good, but the tannins overpowered the flavor. Very dry without much real complexity. Not worth the price.
2003 vintage
Taster #7190
· Jan 22, 2008
89/100
Strong oak flavor but very good
2000 vintage
Taster #4305
· Jan 1, 2008
color is deep garnet. short legs. border has some age showing with some layering. nose is spicy with dark fruits. body is medium and well balanced. palate with spicy zesty black fruits. finishes short to medium in legnth with crispy tannins. not too hot. a very solid bordeaux blend. it did not blow me away but it was quite solid and well-structured.
2000 vintage
Taster #7190
· Dec 31, 2007
90/100
Fantastic so smooth !
2000 vintage
Taster #0276
· Dec 28, 2007
89/100
medium body, nice blend
2000 vintage
Taster #0666
· Jun 26, 2006
89/100
very good
2000 vintage
Taster #4605
· May 5, 2006
Very good. Great Cab depth, flavor. It clearly beat a '95 Beaucastel this night.
2000 vintage
Taster #0324
· Mar 25, 2006
90/100
Tasted along with '95 and '99 Magnificat. A consistent mid-range bordeaux blend. Deep red color. Oak and fruit on the nose. Picked up a touch of sage/brush as well. Very good mouthfeel, still had decent, balanced tannins, but finished third in this three horse race.
2000 vintage
Taster #8109
· Dec 1, 2005
90/100
Drunk with colleagues on a business trip at Boston Harbour Hotel in Boston. Cost US$145.00. Very similar to Insignia, this is a classic attempt to make a Bordeaux blend and style from a Napa Valley wine. It works very well indeed. Super nose, lots of complexity, great length. A real find. Unfortunately we had to drink it in a bit of a hurry and undecanted. Next time we should treat it with more respect.
2000 vintage
Taster #1900
· Apr 5, 2005
85/100
not much there. Not unpleasant, but pretty one dimensional. Certainly not what I’d expect from a $50 bottle. Exactly what I’d expect from a 2000...
2000 vintage