Franciscan “Cuvee Sauvage”

1998 Franciscan “Cuvee Sauvage”
Napa Valley Chardonnay

This Chardonnay is meant to be the center of attention wherever it goes – so if you put it in the middle of the dinner table, food beware. Cuvee Sauvage will overpower almost anything else on the table… my recommendation, drink it solo. Let it be the center of attention. It has worked very hard to get all the way from the vineyard to your glass.

This premium Chardonnay from Franciscan Estate has a dense lush gold color, and coats the glass with a full-bodied viscosity. Abundant, vibrant aromas of toasty oak and vanilla gets your brain headed in the direction this wine is taking, simply full of oak and buttery flavors. Subtle fruit does jump in somewhere in the middle to add a balance to the mix.


Mouth-filling butter and oak are this wine’s trademark and the yeasty undertones are evident from the beginning. There is softness in the round flavors that make this wine a pleasure to drink, so don’t be afraid that it might be too much for you, you can handle it. The vanilla finish is refreshing and concentrated and hangs on and on and on.

This is one of the spotlighted Chardonnays that can sum up the Oak & Butter style some California Chards have favored. It is not for everyone, it is an extravagant example, but I think it is an extremely fun and flavorful wine to drink. It is a wine of 100 percents. 100% Chardonnay. 100% Wild Yeast Fermented. 100% Malolactic Fermented. 100% Unfiltered. Age in 100% French Oak Barrels.

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