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The 2012 vintage, which will begin to show up in restaurants and dealer's shelves shortly, should be a banner one, considering the incurable growing season enjoyed on the West Coast. The rest of the world did not fare as well, so California, Oregon and Washington wines should be exceptional.
While the wines of 2012 may be excellent, we still have the wines of 2010 and 2011 to contend with, which should not be a problem because, for the most part, they were great.
Since its inception, Franciscan Estate Winery continuously has been among the better producers of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay wines, which have garnered many accolades and awards.
Franciscan Estate Winery 2010 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ($28)This is the type of cabernet sauvignon that has made the Franciscan Estate Winery famous - big, chewy, deep in color and full of flavor.
The Franciscan Estate Winery 2010 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is a well-made cab crafted in the classical Bordeaux tradition.
Along with the cabernet sauvignon, small amounts of merlot, syrah and malbec have been added to make this wine more approachable at an earlier age, while adding greater concentration and depth. What results is a wine with a flavor shift toward the classical style for a cabernet sauvignon that maintains its California origins. The flavor and aroma emphasizes anise, cherry, violets and tobacco accentuated by notes of black currant, dried herbs, toasted oak and cocoa.
This is a wine for drinking right away, or one that is perfect for laying down for several years to allow it to reach its full potential. This wine is outstanding as an accompaniment to prime rib or better cuts of steak. It's also worth trying with the common hamburger as it can make the simplest of meals a regal feast.
Franciscan Estate Winery Napa Valley Chardonnay ($18) Throughout the entire process of making this wine, extra care was taken - from hand picking the grapes to the intensive care taken during the winemaking procedures. All of this care resulted in an impeccable wine of great character and distinction.
The wine features the aromas of citrus, golden delicious apple, vanilla and subtle spice from the toasted oak, along with a delicate mineral and lemon-lime hidden behind star jasmine and honeysuckle notes. Unlike many of today's wimpy chardonnays, this wine has a long, fruity and interesting finish. One characteristic emphasized in this wine is the creamy feeling that it has in the mouth, which is truly the sign of a better wine.
Try this wine with shellfish and other seafood, as well as almost any chicken-based meals. We thoroughly enjoyed this wine and believe that you will too.
Ernest & Julio Gallo Single Vineyard Laguna Ranch 2010 Chardonnay ($35)Another very interesting chardonnay we came across was the Ernest & Julio Gallo Single Vineyard Laguna Ranch 2010 Chardonnay.
Although this wine is on the pricy side at $35, it is one of the best chardonnays we have tasted in many years and reflects Gallo's almost century-long commitment to making the best possible wines.
The Russian River District is famous for some of the finest chardonnay wines coming out of California, and that is exactly where the vineyard Laguna Ranch is located.
This wine displays an up-front and quite obvious full-fruit aroma stressing citrus, pineapple, pear and springtime flowers. These aromas carry over to the flavor where they mingle with tropical fruit and green apple. There is also a spicy, toasty under-flavor that has just a slight hint of oak and vanilla derived from the aging of the wine for more than a year in French and American oak barrels.
This is a very special wine that is easy to drink and even easier to enjoy.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and helps manage ArticlesOnWine.com with his wife, Sheila. He can be reached at frojhe@suddenlink.net.[[In-content Ad]]
