What Are You Drinking?

“The ’97 Franciscan ‘Oakville Estate Magnificat.’ The thing I like about the wine is that the winery is in downtown Oakville and it is relatively well-priced, considering Silver Oak, Beringer and Groth are right next door. It is also the ’98 vintage, which has been written off by many people as being weaker than the ’99 or ’97. I say the ‘98s are more elegant, and although they may not last as long, they are very ripe and easy to drink now. This wine has a lot of power and weight, meaning the tannins are large in volume but very ripe. The fruit is black cherry with some red fruits in front of the mouth. Elegant on the entry but good intensity later, so no astringency.”