Lang & Reed, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Franc 2009

 Forget whatever you thought you knew about Cabernet Franc. Yes, it is most often used as a blending grape throughout the New World, and it does sometimes exhibit notes of green, unripe fruit with rustic, perhaps even unpleasant, tannins. It doesn’t have to be that way. Cab Franc planted in the right spots can be every bit as rewarding as the more prominent Bordeaux grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Lang & Reed’s “Two-Fourteen” Cab Franc, so called because that’s the grape clone that was planted, is sourced from the cool southern end of the Napa Valley, where the fresh evening breezes help the Cab Franc retain acidity and its delicate red-fruit aromas. The tannins are firm but well integrated, providing textural contrast to the voluptuous layers of blueberry and blackberry flavors on the middle palate.