Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, March 11, 2017

11

FOOD AND DRINK & MORE

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 11, 2017 

ST. FRANCIS


I thought winter was almost over, is it Spring time? 
Being a good guest I often ask what type of wine 
is the host or birthday boy’s favorite, and half 
the time the answer is merlot. When you look at 
supermarket wine offerings these days, many major 
chains seem to be focusing on wines, so why then 
is the space allocated to merlot so small compared 
to other varieties of wine? I have deduced my 
own theory that not only is the price point narrow 
compared to other wines, but the aging potential is 
longer so you might run into a merlot that is a few 
years old. Supermarket sales of merlot have risen 
from around 3% in the 90’s to about 13% last year - 
a big jump but still a small selection.

 I have been a big fan of St. Francis Winery for 
some years -- I even visited the winery on a recent 
visit to Santa Rosa to the Charles Shultz Museum. 
St. Francis’ 2013 Sonoma Merlot fit all right notes 
with me, having benefitted from heavy rains that 
May and followed by a cool summer. I closed 
my eyes on my first taste and could actually taste 
the aromas of cherry and licorice, finished by 
soft tannins. The St. Francis website suggested a 
pairing of goat cheese or duck, but my market was 
out of duck so had rotisserie chicken which went 
very well with it. I do suggest decanting the wine 
for a few minutes before drinking.

 Writers Weekly Wine Definition: Aging 
Potential. The potential for the wine to get better 
in your wine storage area. This 2013 St. Francis 
Merlot has it!!!

Dills Score 90

Retails around $24, on sale $17, wide distribution 
throughout So Cal including Pavilions.

 Each week I will give you my Dills Score. I have 
added points for value. I’m starting with a base of 50 
points; I added 8 points for color, 7 points for aroma 
or “nose”, 8 points for taste, 8 points for finish, and 
9 points for my overall impression, which includes 
my value rating. I deducted one point one point for 
the time it took away for decanting.

 Email Peter at thechefknows@yahoo.com and 
follow me on Twitter @KINGOFCUISINE Tune 
into my radio show on AM 830 KLAA on Sundays 
at 5PM

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com


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