Franciscan Estate, Merlot, Napa Valley

Some of these notes below are still spot on , earthy , spine , still pretty drinkable. Has character.

2011 vintage

From Bin North 18. Cork nose. Dark purple. Burst of acid and sour oak finish. Fruit gone. 2/10.

1999 vintage

tasted b=very deep cranberry flavor

1999 vintage

Thanksgiving dinner Michele's

1999 vintage

Color was very light. Thinner in body. Cherry cough syrup notes and very easy to drink. Slightly astringent but this was not stored properly what so ever.

2005 vintage

Probably catching this wine towards the end of its useful life. Tasting extremely earthy and almost gamey. Would pair nicely with a steak topped with mushrooms but not loving it on its own.

2011 vintage

Heavy merlot, some fruit but mostly earthy. Decent wine

2011 vintage

It's still good. I can't believe it. It's still got a finish. There's some soft tanin on the mid plate still some dark berry. Nose is muted but pleasant A nice surprise

1999 vintage

This wine is very muted on the nose and the pallet. Very disappointing.

2011 vintage

the nose to this wine is nice big berry, some spice, herbs The taste is also big berry with some earthy, spice. Finish is nice lingering berry, no tart Very nice wine

2011 vintage

Dark plum and black cherry aromas, mixed with smoke, roasted coffee, some violet and lavender notes. Fleshy on the palate, with ripe red and black fruits, supported by dusty-fine tannins and medium+ acidity. I really like the sleeker approach of 2011 here, seems to show more nuance and freshness. Espresso and cedar undertones, a hint of tobacco. Very well-put together with a long, tart finish. Includes 8% Cab, 8% Malbec and 2% Syrah.

2011 vintage

1/2 hour in glass decant. Improved over the night (should have decanted). Very smooth with nice strawberry/vanilla overtones. Wife (whites only) even enjoyed this one a bit. Solid QPR.

2006 vintage

Pretty solid for a easy to find merlot. Lots of dark cherry and vanilla. Thick and rich flavor. Very smooth and approachable.

2006 vintage

This wine has more life..... We loved the dry taste, and the great bouquet.... Very substantial wine..... Great value...

2005 vintage

Tasted this 2005 Merlot at same time as 2004…. Great Nose, Better Than 2004, Same Ruby Red Color…. Great burst of taste, berries and oak, a little long on the palate….. We loved this wine but it needs to be consumed more quickly than the 4004…..

2005 vintage

Spicy, bold and earthy

2006 vintage

Rich blackberry aroma. Rather impressed for the price of this wine. No off putting smells-just good upfront fruit. Taste: Nice lush flavors that linger. Not complex but wonderful rich pure fruit.

2005 vintage

Lots of vanilla and oak on the nose with blackcherry. Somewhat lighter than I prefer but it did have nice garnet color and long legs. Body was somewhat thin but still ok. Very soft almost non-existent tannins and just a hint of spice on the finish. Finish was somewhat short and non-descript.

2005 vintage

Great wine for $11. Drinks like a $20 bottle. Oaks, rich ripe berries. Full of flavor, but not extremely complex. Good blalance of tanins. A great value for this price.

2006 vintage

A bit tight when first opened, with somewhat muted nose of Merlot-typical prunes and blackcurrant. Strong presence of oaky tannins. Opened up more after a day, with good palate balance of flavour, Merlot-suppleness and oak tannins that don't overwhelm.

2006 vintage

Past its prime still wish would have drank 2 years ago. Found two bottles each was consistant still had a bid of nose left but had gone soft.

2000 vintage

Solid for a supermarket wine. Good legs, a little oaky - nice bit of cherries. Good buy for the price @ $10 USD.

2006 vintage

Great, GREAT, buy at 11 dollars. As long as you don't mind loads of oak and lots of richness. This wine drinks well beyond the 11 dollars I paid for it. I would buy again, and lots of it, at this price.

2006 vintage

Dark color, smooth taste. Blackberry, earthy.

2006 vintage

Great for 12 bucks. Good, pure fruit. Lovely and dry. Surprising length. At 11.99 this is a real buy.

2006 vintage

Very smooth! Amazing with steak!

2006 vintage

Really very nice with a smooth, plush mouthfeel and rich fruit flavors. At 89 points, shockingly good for the by-the-glass house Merlot at our country club.

2006 vintage

Berry jam, peach, cocoa. Hints of beauty, a bit rough around the edges and a bit too large. I like my new world Merlot fat & soft as a mobster... this was more like a bodybuilder. Good stuff, nothing particularly special.

2006 vintage

Ok

2005 vintage

The nose was OK but the very flat on the palate. Old juice is all this is.

2005 vintage

I like.

2006 vintage

Drank with Pizza. Has a thick violet hued color, scent of overripe black fruit and spice. Time to drink is now. Most fruit forward of the bunch. Medium finish.

2006 vintage

Very nice. Dark red-purple color. Black cherry and vanilla oak nose. Medium bodied palate continues what began on the nose with black cherry, vanilla oak, and some light spice flavors. Pleasant character. Medium length finish. Good QPR. Drinking beautifully right now – a very solid effort.

2006 vintage

Liked it more while drinking it in Napa than on my couch. Go figure.

2006 vintage

Was pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it. Picked up 3 bottles on a black friday sale for under $10. Smooth right out of the bottle. No need to wait to drink these.

2006 vintage

good deep taste with rich flavors

2005 vintage

This was the 4th out of 4 wines in my weekly blind wine tasting. Charred herb, currant, rasberry and violet garner subtle meat and pencil shaving subtleties with air. While the palate was juicy and voluptuous, the mid-palate seemed rather shallow, hollow. Brown spice and dried cherry carry through onto the finish.

2006 vintage

Excellent cherries taste, oak aroma, medium body.

2006 vintage

Dark color, a rather un-Merlot like nose, with cherry, oak and a touch of spice and leather. Can't imagine anyone describing this wine as "thin." It's quite tannic and not overly fruity, and still very youthful; even after three hours it was still puckery and and a little rough. But it has a nice underlying structure and a bit of blackberry on the finish. I think this still needs another two or three years, believe it or not. Would like …

2005 vintage

Rich black fruits, dark cherry, sweet vanilla, some plum. Approachable and plush. I thought better tonight than same vintage Cab.

2006 vintage

Medium-deep purple color. Black-cherry jam with trace of eucalyptus on the pleasing, medium nose. Flavor follows nose (sans sweetness) with balanced, smooth tannins and sometimes mouth-watering acidity – an excellent complement to the fruit wrapped in a med-full body. Nicely structured, with character carried by a medium finish with tannic legs. I chose this over another Napa merlot at double the price in a blind tasting. Very strong QPR under $20.

2006 vintage

Drank a bottle after Michael Buble concert... Very nice.

2005 vintage

Aroma of ripe fruit or plums upon opening. Initial attack of acetate (nail polish remover) and then nothing. After 10 minutes in the glass, the aroma turns to rotting fruit. This bottle was received from the Chateau two years ago and stored at a temperature of 57 degrees F (+/- 1 degree).

2005 vintage

color: mid-dark purple; nose: spicy blackberry -- unusual and enjoyable; taste: medium-weight mouth feel, cinnamon, spicy dry medium-length finish with a nice tannin backup; overall: enjoyable spice bomb that reminded me more of a CS than a merlot, a great buy at $15 and a reasonable value at $18.

2005 vintage

Very thin. Not real flavorful. Would not buy again

2005 vintage

Still had good flavor.

2005 vintage

Mellow, but enticing nose. Soft spice, vanilla, light cherry and richer blackberry and oak are the make-up here. There are tannins on the medium-long finish with more spicy richness. A well rounded wine showing little flaw. Well done. The wine should age, maybe 2012-2016+

2006 vintage

Really sharp taste. Strong flavor.

2005 vintage

we love this wine

2005 vintage

Very nice garnet color and a decent nose of black cherry, oak and vaniila, but a very thin and astringent wine. Finish was alomost non-existent. This was a disppointment to me. Going to put it away for another night and see if it improves.

2005 vintage

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Franciscan Estate, Merlot, Napa Valley

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