ST. FRANCIS WINERY AND VINEYARDS
100 Pythian Road, Santa Rosa,
California 95409.
by Sergio Sismondo
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Never miss an opportunity for a visit to this superb establishment. It is located on the east side of the Sonoma Highway (Route 12), near Santa Rosa. The winery recently moved and is housed in an impressive, all new, Mission-style complex of buildings. The tasting room is elegant and spacious. There is much enthusiasm in the air, appropriately so, to match the superb quality of the wines produced here. Not only are there great wines to taste, but also an exciting variety of elegant accessories, wine books, and cook books for visitors to purchase. |
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 Winemaster and Director of Winemaking Thomas Mackey signing the bottles. |
Wine experts Adam Glatt, Kay Connor, and Vanessa Lynch-Thomspon guided us through our tastings, and they ably took us from one wine to another with all the pertinent information. We thank them profusely for their patience in answering our many quastions. Most of all, the staff at this winery makes visitors feel welcome and relaxed. The magnificent quality of the wines, the beauty of the natural setting, and the splendid architectural complex make a visit to this winery an absolute must for any serious follower of wine.
OUR CHOICES
St. Francis wines are very fine to superb, a real testimonial to the hard work, artistry and commitment to excellence on the part of Winemaster and Director of Winemaking Thomas Mackey and his able staff. Following is a listing of the wines we tasted together with our ratings for them.
| Cabernet-Franc, | Lagomarsino Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2000 | 95 |
| Cabernet-Franc, | Lagomarsino Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2002 | 92 |
| Cabernet-Franc, | McCoy Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 1999 | 92 |
| Cabernet-Franc, | McCoy Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2000 | 91 |
| Cabernet-Franc, | McCoy Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2001 | 91 |
| Cabernet-Franc, | McCoy Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2002 | 92 |
| Cabernet-Franc, | McCoy Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2003 | 92 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Sonoma County, | 2000 | 88 | |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Sonoma County, | 2002 | 89 | |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 1999 | 91 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2000 | 92 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2001 | 91 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2002 | 93 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2003 | 92 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Kings Ridge Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 1998 | 94 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Kings Ridge Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2000 | 94 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Kings Ridge Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2001 | 93 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Wild Oak, Sonoma County, | Reserve, | 2003 | 91 |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Sonoma County, | Reserve, | 2000 | 90 |
| Chardonnay, | 2001 | 86 | ||
| Chardonnay, | 2002 | 87 | ||
| Chardonnay, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma, | 2005 | 90 | |
| Chardonnay, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2000 | 90 |
| Chardonnay, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2001 | 91 |
| Chardonnay, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2002 | 91 |
| Chardonnay, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2003 | 89 |
| Chardonnay, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2004 | 90 |
| Chardonnay, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2005 | 90 |
| Chardonnay, | Sonoma County, | 2002 | 87 | |
| Chardonnay, | Sonoma County, | 2004 | 89 | |
| Chardonnay, | Sonoma County, | 2006 | 88 | |
| Chardonnay, | Yamakawa Vineyard, Sonoma County, | 2004 | 89 | |
| Claret, | Sonoma County, | 2001 | 88 | |
| Grenache, | Sceales Vineyard, Alexander Valley | 2004 | 91 | |
| Meritage "Anthem", | Sonoma Valley, | 2000 | 91 | |
| Meritage "Anthem", | Sonoma Valley, | 2001 | 91 | |
| Meritage "Anthem", | Sonoma Valley, | 2002 | 91 | |
| Meritage "Anthem", | Sonoma Valley, | 2003 | 94 | |
| Merlot, | Sonoma Valley, | Reserve, | 1994 | 94 |
| Merlot, | Sonoma County, | 2000 | 89 | |
| Merlot, | Sonoma County, | 2002 | 90 | |
| Merlot, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 1999 | 90 |
| Merlot, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | Reserve, | 2000 | 92 |
| Merlot, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 1999 | 90 |
| Merlot, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2000 | 93 |
| Merlot, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2001 | 91 |
| Merlot, | Behler Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2003 | 92 |
| Mourvedre | Pagani Vineyard, Sonoma, | 2001 | 89 | |
| Petite Sirah | Zichichi Vineyard, Dry Creek | 2002 | 91 | |
| Petite Sirah | Zichichi Vineyard, Dry Creek | 2003 | 92 | |
| Petite Sirah | Zichichi Vineyard, Dry Creek | 2004 | 92 | |
| Pinot Noir | Leras family, Russian River, | 2002 | 89 | |
| Port | Nuns Canyon & Pagani Vineyard | 2002 | 89 | |
| Port | Sonoma County, | 2004 | 92 | |
| Red Wine, | Rockpile Vineyard, Sonoma | 2001 | 89 | |
| Red Wine, | Rockpile Vineyard, Sonoma | 2002 | 90 | |
| Red Wine, | Rockpile Vineyard, Sonoma | Reserve, | 2001 | 91 |
| Rose | Sonoma County | 2005 | 87 | |
| Rose | Sonoma County | 2006 | 88 | |
| Syrah, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | 2001 | 92 | |
| Syrah, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | 2002 | 91 | |
| Syrah, | Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma, | 2003 | 90 | |
| Syrah, | Sonoma County, | 2003 | 90 | |
| Syrah, | Wild Oak, Sonoma County, | 2004 | 91 | |
| Zinfandel | Sonoma | 1999 | 90 | |
| Zinfandel | Sonoma | 2000 | 90 | |
| Zinfandel | Sonoma | 2001 | 89 | |
| Zinfandel | Sonoma County, Old Vines | 2002 | 91 | |
| Zinfandel | Bacchi Vineyard, Sonoma | 2002 | 92 | |
| Zinfandel | Bacchi Vineyard, Russian River Valley | 2002 | 92 | |
| Zinfandel | Bacchi Vineyard, Russian River Valley | 2004 | 90 | |
| Zinfandel | Rowe Vineyard, Old Vines | 2001 | 91 | |
| Zinfandel | Pagani Vineyards | Reserve | 2001 | 92 |
| Zinfandel | Pagani Vineyards | Reserve | 2002 | 90 |
| Zinfandel | Pagani Vineyards | Reserve | 2002 | 91 |
| Zinfandel | Pagani Vineyards | Reserve | 2004 | 90 |
OUR CHOICES
To mention one favorite among the great red premium and reserve wines of this vineyard would be unfair to the others. Cabernet Franc, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Zinfandel, all excel in their own particular ways. While the 2000 Merlot from the Behler Vineyard and the 2000 Cabernet-Franc from the Lagomarsino Vineyard are perhaps the most interesting among them, all the ratings speak for themselves.
We are absolutely enchanted by the 2000 Lagomarsino Cabernet-Franc. This wine, being a very limited production, was not distributed, and is therefore only available at the winery.
- Our choice for "best value for money", among this great selection of wines, is Nuns Canyon Vineyard Syrah of 2001, which is priced at $35 and we rated 92.
St Francis also offers at $22.00 Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon wines from Sonoma County which, year after year, continue to receive multiple awards. We have rated the recent releases 90 for the Cabernet-Sauvignon and 89 for the Merlot, and that has been fairly consistent through the years. Both are highly recommended.
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Wine Expert Vanessa Lynch-Thompson, and Chef Kirsten Dearing.
RETROSPECTIVE
This year we tasted a wide range of wines, both white and red, Chardonnay, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and quite a few others. All the wines were excellent, and we rated them in the very upper 80's and 90's.
- Our preference for a white wine goes to the 2001 Chardonnay, Behler Vineyard, Sonoma Valley. It is priced at $22 per bottle, and received our rating of 90.
- Our choice of the best red wine tasted was the 1999 Merlot, Behler Vineyard, Sonoma Valley, which is priced at $45 and we rated 97. This is a wonderful wine of great depth and complexity, flavors of chocolate, wild cherry and plum, with strong structure and long finish.
- A second choice was the 2000 Zinfandel, Rowe Vineyard, Sonoma Valley. It is priced at $30 with our rating of 95. This wonderful wine is only available at the vineyard.
- Our "Best value for money" choice goes to the Chardonnay of 2001, Sonoma County, which is priced at $13 and which received our rating of 88.
There is a 10% discount for purchases of 12 or more bottles.
RETROSPECTIVE.
The previous year our choice for best St. Francis wine was the 1997 Merlot, Nuns Canyon Vineyard, Sonoma County. It was priced at $48.
In the range of $20 to $22 St. Francis consistently offered excellent value. Here are our ratings for five consecutive years of their Merlot, Sonoma County appelation.
| Merlot | Sonoma County | 1996 | 91 |
| Merlot | Sonoma County | 1997 | 93 |
| Merlot | Sonoma County | 1998 | 89 |
| Merlot | Sonoma County | 1999 | 92 |
| Merlot | Sonoma County | 2000 | 89 |
| Merlot | Sonoma County | 2001 | 90 |
| Merlot | Sonoma County | 2002 | 90 |
The Zinfandel wines sampled at St. Francis are included in the extensive Zinfandel listing in this web site, in the section "Wine Listings / California - Zinfandel".
A WORD ABOUT ST. FRANCIS PATRONS WINE CLUB.
St. Francis also has a wine club. The Patrons Wine Club offers to its members a number of privileges, including reserve tastings with fantastic food pairings, some discounts and wines by mail. We have joined and are very happy with the selections received in the mail this year. We recommend this wine club without reservations. George Marek, Manager of the Patrons Wine Club, will be pleased to give further details; you can contact him at wineclub@stfranciswine.com.
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