Our Annual Wine Intrigue Awards (aka WIA) is Here!

Essere Franco 2018 'EF' Napa Valley Estate Proprietary Red

Essere Franco 2018 'EF' Napa Valley Estate Proprietary Red

...opulent texture that certainly merits attention...
Jeb Dunnuck
dryness
acidity
tannin
body
fruit
...opulent texture that certainly merits attention...
Jeb Dunnuck

Mission Codename For Epic Find

Need something to get over the Kim and Pete breakup? Are you a Giants fan who just watched the Dodgers sweep? Do you just like big behemoth reds?

We got you.

This Prop Red will wrap you in a warm bearhug of fruit and comfort your addled soul - and so will the enormous discount of 78%.

Yes, it’s THAT EF you love, the monster silk screened cigar smoking king bottle back with a redesign.

We first landed the 2010 and 2012 vintages of this wine in 2020. People went WILD for them. Go check the social feedback, which includes tidbits like “Holy S#!t” and “one of my favorite wines of all time.”

Then came the 2014 earlier this year. But today we’re coming in hot with the latest and greatest release from the outstanding 2018 vintage and we just hope you’ll be sitting down when you taste this decadent blockbuster.

The d’Ambrosio family has long grown grapes in Napa and sold to many of the top producers in the area. You’ve probably drank their grapes without knowing it in many a premier Napa blend. They have a massive 70 acres of prime fruit to choose from and this gets the best of the best. When they decided to make their own, they brought winemaker Tom Foster on board. And crushed it again, which is no surprise given his deep experience at Opus One, Groth & Lewis Cellars prior.

Every aspect of this wine shows off a super flashy, expressive style - from the striking new minimalist look to the stuff inside. It starts with the insanely deep maroon and black color and the highly perfumed nose of enticing spiced plums, Turkish coffee, cardamom, and charcuterie nuances. The palate jolts the senses with big, LUSH, succulent waves of blackberry and blackcurrant, bringing in amazingly youthful freshness of fruit into the mix. It all wraps up with significant yet velvety tannins extending across a filibuster finish. You better have a mean steak or something on hand to stand up to this big boy.

What Jeb Dunnuck thought of the inaugural vintage still rings true as it “hits the palate with full-bodied richness and an expressive, opulent texture that certainly merits attention. It gains freshness and purity with time in the glass and is an interesting expression of this variety that I’d imagine would age for another 20 years or more.”

Not $225. Not $125. Not even $55… and probably not here for much longer.

Read Full Review
Hide Full Review

What the Winery Says 2018 'EF' Napa Valley Estate Proprietary Red

Essere Franco
Essere Franco
Winemaker
Tom Foster
Varietal
90% Petite Verdot, 10% Malbec
Vintage
2018
Alcohol
15.5%
Appellation
Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley
Vineyard
Oak Knoll Estate Vineyard
Clones
4, 400
Rootstock
101-14, S04
Acidity
0.56
pH
3.87
Harvest dates
November 7, 2018
Bottling date
February 18, 2021
Aging
24 months
Barrels
75% new French oak
Production
89 Cases

About the Winery Essere Franco

Essere Franco Winemaker Tom Foster
Essere Franco Winemaker Tom Foster
Essere Franco 2018 'EF' Napa Valley Estate Proprietary Red 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Aug 12, 2022 at 11:59 pm
Register to get notified when this wine is back in stock:
Sign Up For Free
Essere Franco 2018 'EF' Napa Valley Estate Proprietary Red 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Aug 12, 2022 at 11:59 pm
Register to get notified when this wine is back in stock:
Sign Up For Free