Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon

Winery: Franciscan

Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Location: Carneros, Napa Valley

Purchased: Augie’s Front Burner

Price: $26.99 (wine.com)

 

We celebrated Jonathan’s birthday with a dinner at one of our favorite resturants in town, and a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. Previously, we had a limited release Franciscan wine and thought it magnificent. So we decided to try another bottle. This time settling on the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Ordering in a resturant, we knew we were overpaying ($46.00). However, imagine my surprise this morning when I found the same bottle listed on wine.com for $26.99. Not even a double mark-up! It is standard for resturants to double the price of wine on their menu, some even triple the price. It was a nice surprise.

 

As for the wine itself, it did not disappoint. It held form as a true cabernet style wine with a strong nose for oak with hints of vanilla and peppercorns. It had a deep, ruby rich appearance. However, the resturant did not serve the wine at the proper temperature so our taste impressions may be a little skewed. This Cabernet did not have the complexity of others. Although, it did present a vibrant, strong finish that left a lingering taste on the palate. I would be interested in trying this wine again at the correct temperature to see if that changes the complexity.

 

Franciscan produced it’s first bottle of Cabernet in 1975 with a style of making wine in small lots, then blending them together to achieve the greatest expression. Franciscan is known for their bold wines with the rare combination of rich, vibrant flavors yet, fine supple texture.