Every Thursday I feature a wine I particularly enjoy, whether it’s something new and different, is a great value, or from a producer worth checking out. For this week, my Wine Of The Week is the 2012 Franciscan Estate Equilibrium.
The Winery
Franciscan Estate is an awarding winery located in the Oakville AVA of the Napa Valley. The winery was established in 1972 when,what was to become their estate vineyard, was planted by Justin Meyer , the founder of Silver Oak and Raymond Duncan. The winery was established in 1973.
Over the years, Franciscan Estate winemakers have been pioneers on the winemaking. A couple of notable achievements include:
- Recognizing that the world’s finest wines are blends, in 1985 Franciscan introduced Magnificat. Under vintner Agustin Huneeus, this proprietary blend of Bordeaux varietals championed the popular Meritage class of wines
- Two years later, Franciscan made another dramatic impact on the world of wine when winemaker Greg Upton created Cuvée Sauvage, the first Napa Valley Chardonnay fermented with wild yeast.
We’re after the rare combination of rich, vibrant flavors and a supple, silky texture. That is the Franciscan Estate signature – Janet Myers, Director of Winemaking
The Franciscan Estate sources their fruit from the aforementioned 240-acre estate vineyard planted in 1972, and throughout Napa Valley. The Oakville estate is the source of their Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties.
They produce two tiers of wine, “Prestige”, and “Napa Valley”. The Director of Winemaking is Janet Myers.
The Wine
The name Equilibrium means “to come together in a state of harmonious balance.” In the case of this wine, it’s unique blend of 72% Sauvignon Blanc, 17% Chardonnay, and 11% Muscat coming together to create a wine that is more than the sum of its parts. The wine was fermented in 83% stainless steel, and 17% in barrel.
The fruit for this wine was sourced from the cooler Southern end of the Napa Valley.
My tasting notes follow:
Very pale straw yellow color with aromatic guava, apple, pear, orange blossom and a bit of honeysuckle aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, and refreshing with medium-acidity. It’s between dry and off-dry with a wonderful mouthfeel and stone-fruit, grapefruit, pear, and melon flavors and a medium-long finish. 12.5% alcohol| SRP – $23 |1,503 cases produced.
Rating: A-: I really enjoyed this wine. Great summer sipper that works as an aperitif and with food!
Pair with: This is a food friendly wine. We enjoyed with sushi, and sashimi (with which it paired surprisingly well) one night, and steamed mussels the next. Try it with spicy Asian cuisines.
Sample provided for review by Folsom & Associates
(A+) – 98-100/Extraordinary
(A) – 94-97/Outstanding
(A-) – 90-93/Excellent
(B+) – 86-89/Very good
(B) – 80-85/Good
(C) – 70-79/Bleh
(D) – 50-69/#Fail
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This article is original to ENOFYLZ Wine Blog.com. Copyright 2013 ENOFYLZ Wine Blog. All rights reserved.