Accolades
90 Points | Wine Enthusiest | October 2017
Best of Sonoma Valley AVA | Grand Harvest Awards | November 2016
Best of Class | Grand Harvest Awards | November 2016
This is a savory and dense wine with a rich, dark hue. Earthy aromatics of spice, graphite, and crushed wild berries merge with flavors of ripe plum, blueberry compote, and notes of carob, dried sage, and thyme. Meaty but smooth, it has a good structure with a generous finish.
2015 brought an early and light harvest that began on August 10, the earliest date in St. Francis’ history. The year started out very warm and dry but then cool, damp weather in May hampered fruit set. Though the result was smaller, looser clusters on the vine, the warm and consistent summer that followed produced high-quality fruit with exceptional aromatics and concentrated flavors.
This Malbec comes from our Certified Sustainable Estate Wild Oak Vineyard, located at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. Grown here the Malbec thrives in the warm afternoons and cool evenings of Sonoma, producing luscious berries with rich, spicy characteristics and deep intense color.
The grapes are gently de-stemmed before cold-soaking to extract optimal color and aroma. After primary fermentation, the wine is aged in 100% French oak barrels, 25% new, where it undergoes malolactic fermentation, followed by 17 months of aging.
90 Points | Wine Enthusiest | October 2017
Best of Sonoma Valley AVA | Grand Harvest Awards | November 2016
Best of Class | Grand Harvest Awards | November 2016