Magnificat 2015 Red Blend, Napa Valley, Franciscan Vineyards

Magnificat is one of the original Meritage blends in California, a wine Franciscan has produced since 1985 and still estate bottled. Named for J.S. Bach’s masterpiece, it is crafted to be as seamless and harmonious as its musical namesake. Starting with over 200 small lots of red wine, Magnificat is created to showcase the finest Bordeaux blend of the vintage. The wine is founded on Cabernet Sauvignon, but true to Meritage, uses other Bordeaux varietals to give roundness, structure, and rich complexity.

From the excellent 2015 vintage this blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. A pre-fermentation cold soak of 4 days to enhance color and body led to fermentation and maceration averaging 22 days to build structure and integrate mouthfeel.

This rich Cab blend shows a beautiful nose of ripe, perfumed cherry, with notes of vanilla, dark berry and sandalwood. Rich and inviting with a soft and full entry. Mouth-filling with a velvety texture of dark berry fruit, notes of black plum, cassis and mocha. Delicious supple tannins; the smooth finish lingers with notes of ripe cherry fruit, toasty oak notes and bittersweet chocolate on the finish. This wine is drinking exceptionally well right now and will continue to evolve if cellared up to 8-10 years.