We recently had the opportunity to taste St. Francis’ Classic ($17 to $22 range) and Reserve ($45 to $55 range) wines with their Director of Vineyards Jake Terrell – not in Sonoma County where the winery is located but here in Las Vegas. I suggested they also invite wine bloggers/influencers Vashti and Steve Roebuck. (Steve did our wine tasting notes below as well.)
All I knew ahead of the meeting is that the winery is 100% Certified Sustainable, that Terrell works alongside the “St. Francis winemaking team, including Chris Louton and Katie Madigan” and that he has a “passion and commitment to producing high-quality wines by focusing his efforts on healthy fruit production through responsible and sustainable vineyard management…” I was interested in learning more.
From Jake Terrell
After we settled in, and began tasting the wines with our dinner, we all wanted to learn more from Jake. He explained that St. Francis first planted vines in 1971 and sold the fruit of their labors until they began making their own wines in 1978. Merlot is “their heart and soul” according to Jake, who started working there ten years ago. The wines they now produce are about one-third estate grown, though they are in the midst of purchasing more vineyards.
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards farms with sustainability in mind. To help fight pests and virus, they have started to replant with a focus on disease-resistant rootstock rather than using toxic pesticides to control the disease. They grow cover crops to add nutrients to the soil naturally and add compost made from the grape skins, seeds and pulp leftover from winemaking.
“We plant our vineyards thinking about the wines they’ll one day become and that includes planting different clones and choosing varieties well suited to the soil and climate. I love seeing how a vineyard changes over the years and grows more complex over time.”
Tasting Notes Courtesy Steve Roebuck
“St. Francis Winery we had a lovely wine tasting with Jake Terrell, your Director Of Vineyards. We enjoyed learning how Mr. Terrell has been shaping the vineyards over the last ten years, and his vision for the future.”
2021 St. Francis Sonoma County Chardonnay (in the Classic category)
The wine had a beautiful bouquet of apples, poached pears, lemons, burnt matchstick, crushed minerals, beeswax, brine, and a soft hint of vanilla. It had a nice level of acidity that brought balance to a palate painted with hints of ripe apples, poached pears, lemon oil, crushed briny minerals, flint, and a soft hint of creamy butterscotch on the finish. The wine is crisp and elegant with fresh layers of fruit and earth that play nicely together.
2021 St. Francis Merlot Sonoma County (in the Classic category)
On the first approach, the wine had an expressive bouquet of cherries, plum, blackberries, chocolate, vanilla, tar, iron, dried cumin, and a soft note of cigar box. It was full-bodied with rounded tannins that gave way to hints of cherries, currants, plum, baking chocolate, tar, iron, soft dried herbs, and a kiss of oak. The wine was nicely layered with rich fruits and savory earth notes that were subdued by a nice level of acidity that brought balance to the palate.
2021 St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County (in the Classic category)
This classic Cabernet Sauvignon had a lovely bouquet of black cherries, cassis fruit, blackberries, dried sage, black tea, tobacco, chocolate, smoked vanilla, and a kiss of sweet oak. The wine was full-bodied with rounded tannins that gripped the palate with hints of dark berries fruits, dried sage, iron, chocolate cake mix, creamy vanilla, dried tobacco, and toasted oak. It was nicely layered with beautiful dark fruits and savory earth that harmonized elegantly together. Additionally, it had a nice level of acidity that brought balance to a rich palate; thus, making this a very nice wine.
2018 St. Francis Reserve Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley
This wine is a blend of 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petite Sirah with a magnificent bouquet of cherries, blackberries, boysenberries, black raspberries, white pepper, vanilla, exotic spices, soft dried herbs, cola, cherry liquor, and tilled earth. It was medium to full-bodied with rounded tannins that painted the palate with hints of cherries, black raspberries, tart cranberries, boysenberry pie crust, exotic spices, baking spices, dried herbs, pepper, vanilla, cola, and a touch of cherry liquor on the finish. The wine was complex with beautifully rich layers of fruit and earth that were balanced; thus, the wine was elegantly rich with a supple thickness that was subdued by a nice level of acidity. This was a lovely wine that continued to open up as it sat in my glass and was quite intriguing.
From Eve: My only addition to Steve’s notes is that I agree that all of these wines were extremely balanced, and also ready to drink now.
About St. Francis Winery & Vineyard
For more than 50 years, St. Francis, a family-owned, Certified Sustainable winery, has created handcrafted wines that are authentically Sonoma.
The brand honors its namesake, St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment, by sustainably producing award-winning wines and supporting animal charities.
The vineyard’s unique terror makes it suitable for growing several varietals with a rich history of quality.
https://www.stfranciswinery.com/
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
