Infused Wine Review: Franciscan Estates 2007 Magnificat

When is a wine more than a wine? When you know the history. Or…at least when the winery has a history. I always seem to enjoy a wine when there is more to the effort than a faceless, nameless entity behind it.

Recently Franciscan Estates, Napa Valley, California, sent me their 2007 Magnificat red wine to review and I found the prospect even more enticing after reading the back story of the vineyard and winery. Established in 1973 with producing beginning in 1975, Franciscan’s owner Justin Meyer created the estate’s style of small lot wines.

Magnificat was introduced in 1985 under vintner Agustin Huneeus. It is a Bordeaux-style blend spearheading the Meritage class of wines. All good signs for a red wine lover.

The label reads, “This Meritage shows layered aromas of cassis and plum, with ripe black fruit flavors and hints of vanilla and spice.” Definitely there is the aroma of plum and slight hints of vanilla. More interesting, to me at least, is the spice scent wafting out of the bottle softly in a teasing manner.

Once opened to breathe for a bit and poured, the character of the wine shifted to a deeper layering. First tasting is of the fruit, as expected in a California wine, than a strong finish of tobacco. Not a cigarette tobacco, mind you.

No… it’s more of a high-quality cigar tobacco that conjures up memories (or daydreams) of sitting curled up in a leather wing-back chair in your grandfather’s study. The day outside is damp and grey but you don’t mind because you are in front of a fireplace with nothing else to do all day except enjoy the afternoon and the bottle of Franciscan Estates Magnificat. It’s a good, warm cozy feeling which wraps around you like a well loved quilt.

What type of food would you enjoy with this wine? Something you can linger over without hurry, such as lamb or beef stew. If nibblers are more the meal in mind, tapas of peppery beef bites would pair up nicely.

Music to enhance the experience should be meaningful background tunes. I suggest Bach for classical enthusiasts. For others… a bluesy-jazzy choice such as Billie Holiday or Lena Horne.

Bottom Line: Franciscan Estates Magnificat will conjure up a desire to forget the outside world and stay inside curled  up in a chair beside the fireplace reading great literature.

Winery images and sample by Franciscan Estates
Wine image by E. J. Musgrave

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated fine-living, travel columnist, freelance writer, and performing arts and restaurant critic for Gotta Go. Read her new column, Infused, at GottaGo.us and FoodandDrinkDigital.com and catch her as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC. Gotta Go is published on Gottago.us, BroadwayWorld.com, in magazines and several Indianapolis area newspapers. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Infused: The Spirit of Chocolat in review

Fredericksburg, TX's Chocolat adds a spirited twist to the traditional art of Swiss chocolate.

In INFUSED, a weekly column, Elizabeth J. Musgrave connects spirits, wine, and beer with culinary and creative arts.

When looking for a perfect dessert, we often turn toward chocolate or an after-dinner drink, creating the unpleasant decision of which to choose. It’s a decision that proves difficult for even the most strong-willed person. But for almost thirty years, Lecia Duke has made life easier by combining the two options into a selection of unique, one-bite nuggets.

Duke’s shop, Chocolat sits snugly deep in the heart of Texas, located in the charming town of Fredericksburg within the Lone Star state’s Hill Country region. Duke blurs the line between spirits and candy through a 200-year-old method learned while apprenticing with a Swiss chocolatier. Originally an architect-turned graphic designer, the chocolate master creates a crystallized sugar nest to encapsulate the liquor, wine or liqueur in a process known as liqueur praline. She then covers the fragile globe with the finest chocolate available: bourbon, Irish Cream and spiced rum are just a few of the choices among the over-21 liquids to get the Willy Wonka treatment.

According to the award-winning chocolate maker, beer and Champagne are the only liquids unable to withstand the process for the Spirited Chocolates line of confections.

After nearly two dozen tastes, my favorite is a toss-up between Amaretto and Sam Houston Straight Kentucky Bourbon, although the red wine is rather tasty as well.

The signature piece, Tequila D’Almendrado, is the only liqueur praline to progress through three individual flavors: almond, tequila and finishing with chocolate.

For more information on chocolates, tours and flavors, visit Chocolat-Tx.us.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her column, Infused, at FoodandDrinkDigital.com, as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Gotta Go is published on BroadwayWorld.com, GottaGo.us and in M magazine and the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.