Is this what aged Burgundy tastes like?!!!
Just popped one of these tonight and good lord she is singing, so fresh and maybe just inside it’s drinking window? Wow
I opened my first of two earlier this month and it was stunning how young and fresh it is showing. I’m not sure if this will continue to evolve, but it is drinking so well now that it would be a shame to wait too long and miss it.
For those of you who haven’t met Joe’s daughter – the “actual” Francesca ---- she is as bright and wonderful as the wine. She will be off to college in the Fall. So drink up and buy more!
And don’t forget brother Max. His Cuvée is also excellent.
What is so interesting in his Pinots is their depth for the alcohol levels. The color is dark and there is really good extraction, yet he picks at brix levels (most of the time) that others only get translucent colors and a sense of lightness from.
Most don’t know that he offered my a job 9 months before I moved to Napa in 2005, but he would not have been able to pay me. All those secrets could have been mine!
![[berserker.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8600bbd4810d342b8fbd4ffb62b4f0026275fd37.gif "berserker"){kind=small}
Agreed so I picked up another 3 today! Great stuff 
This is a stunning wine! I agree with those who think it’s still not at peak.
Another board member shared a 2001Sleepy Hollow this week that was a stunningly beautiful, seventeen-year-old Pinot Noir. To me, it had the stuffing to go out at least another five to 10 years.
Joe makes great wines with staying power. I am sad that i don’t have unlimited funds to buy them.
Clearly you made the best decision Roy. You are killing it up there in Napa. I dont often drink Cab but after drinking your gift, I realized I had to rethink my myopic wine choices. That was simply stunning wine. I need to figure out how to get on your wine list.
Noah we accept limited funds here too.
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2000 Arcadian Pinot Noir Francesca’s Cuvée - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (2/21/2020)
– decanted 40 minutes before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over 1.25 hours –
NOSE: expressive; high-toned and rustic; acquiring some overt tertiary aspects now.
BODY: slightly hazy; garnet-violet color of medium to medium-deep depth; a little bit of age is noticeable on the color, but this has a generally youthful appearance for its age; light to medium-light bodied.
TASTE: thin and watery on the palate, initially; high acidity; more red-fruited than anything else; old wood; 13.0% alc. not noticeable; hints of coffee and spice; front palate did round-out with some air, although it was a little thin on the mid-palate (it’s entirely possible this bottle would have benefited from more air than it received). Excellent, but not quite as compelling as a couple previous bottles — hard to tell if it’s bottle variation, or difference in bottle prep… Based on this bottle, I’d say Drink Now and over the next 5 years, but previous bottles hinted at a much longer lifespan. Very much worth opening now if you have multiple bottles.
50, 5, 13, 16, 8 = (92 pts.)
2000 Arcadian Pinot Noir Francesca’s Cuvée - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (1/20/2021)
– decanted one hour before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over 4.25 hours –
NOSE: O.M.G.! swoon-worthy aromas of baked strawberry and baked cherry; high-toned savory facet; an earthy note; hint of mineral; gorgeous mix of primary and tertiary elements; not bretty; fully open and expressive; complex; absolutely stunning!
BODY: medium to medium-full bodied; dark garnet core with slight bricking throughout; color is of medium depth.
TASTE: smooth; medium+ to high acidity; dark red fruits – dark cherry; a touch earthy; very gentle Pinot funk (not brett); light oak on the front palate; this is in such a magical spot right now! rich, full, decadent, and elegant all at the same time; Francesca’s birth year wine; this wine continues to flex. I wouldn’t be surprised if this continues to develop positively over the short or medium term, but let’s be clear: it’s in its prime window right now, and it would be extremely unfortunate for anyone holding multiple bottles to miss the present stage of this wine’s life.
50, 5, 14, 18, 10 = (97 pts.)
Thank you Brian, About the best review I can imagine ever receiving for a wine of mine. I will be sure to share this with Francesca who will be celebrating her 21 st birthday on April 17th. It was always my goal to produce a wine that she could enjoy as a young woman with her friends. And as a five month old infant when these grapes were harvested until today as a twenty year old college student, it has been gratifying to watch the evolution of her and this wine.
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I also had the privilege of opening a bottle of the 2000 Francesca within the last week. My descriptors are nowhere as compelling as Brian’s but I can fully agree the wine is in a marvelous place. Even texted Joe immediately letting him know how incredible the bottle was.
Very cool that this thread is still going years later. That in itself is a testament to the wine’s obvious aging potential.
Cheers,
Doug
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May she have a wonderful birthday, Joe. You’ve raised a remarkable young woman in her. Cheers! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
I’ll second that!
Great note. anyone try the 2001 or 2002 - I have several of these but no 2000.
Cheers