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2013 Franciscan Napa Valley Merlot

2013 Franciscan Napa Valley Merlot

It’s been a little while since I’ve reviewed a Merlot (too long in fact), so I thought I’d give this one a try.  I like Franciscan wines in general, especially their Magnificat from ’07 which I had stashed in my cellar until they were consumed, much to our enjoyment, last year.  This bottle is 97% Merlot with the rest Malbec which is kind of interesting.  Price at Costco was $13.99 which is well below the bottle’s $24 retail price.  And I thought it was definitely worth the $14.

Vibrant nose with perfume, dried flowers and plum.  Medium in body with flavors of cherry, plum and mocha notes on the finish; some herbs and pepper also towards the close.  We paired it with some grilled chicken and vegetables which provided a nice complement.

In all, it’s a $14 Napa Merlot.  Maybe a slight cut above what you would expect.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 86 Points

Costco item number: 32892

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Cumberland)

Alc. 13.5%

J Jonah jameson

Thursday 16th of June 2016

Have you found the 2014 Chateauneuf yet? I did buy a bottle, but $20 is the most I have ever paid for a wine (hence my being on costwineblog), and am wondering if I should drink it now, cellar it, or give it away as a gift. Thanks.

Editor

Thursday 16th of June 2016

It's still not at the Costcos near me. I'm going to visit once again tomorrow to check and will get the review up right away if I find it. I would open yours and drink it to see what you think. If you enjoy it and want to buy more you'll need to do that before it leaves stores.

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