The Cabernet Franc you've been waiting for is here!
Ethereal, gorgeous, pure and elegant, Lot 196 is one of my favorite Cabernet Francs and possibly the best CF I've ever sourced.
Like Lot 194 from the same producer, I was at first taken aback by its somewhat un-extracted color, but immediately smitten by its complex and expressive aromatics. Sourced from a fantastic hillside site hidden back in the rather-cool climate of Wooden Valley, just to the northeast of Coombsville/Wild Horse Valley and to the southeast of Atlas Peak. (In fact, Wild Horse Valley is the coolest site in Napa Valley as the air mass that passes over Carneros cools another 10 degrees by the time it rises to the AVA. You can click this link and see the Wooden Valley running north-to-south just to the northeast of Wild Horse Valley).
The winemaker is a legend amongst winemakers but hardly a household name save for wine geeks. As one of the former winemakers on the program that put Napa Cabernet on the map as well as being a member of founding team for Opus One, this individual has 40-years of grokking Napa Valley terroir at a whole other level.
Combining the structure of moderate climate Napa Valley Cabernet Franc with the elegant-yet-potent expression of Burgundy, Lot 196 is sure to impress with its cool-climate, ethereal sensibility. It will age phenomenally-well too. I cannot wait to imbibe the aromas five years from now!
Priced at $85 at the winery, it is, well, impressively priced at $35/bottle if I do say so myself. This is a deftly-made, precision-tuned wine with exceptional complexity and true finesse. Will age beautifully over the next 10-15 years.
Medium ruby in the glass. Opens with the sweet perfume of dried rose petals and tobacco leaf haloing a core of watermelon and cherry candy, cinnamon spice and a loamy underpinning. Beautiful, pure and complex. Perfectly-ripe and supple on entry, Lot 196 is seamless and transparent across the mid-palate before unfurling pretty cherry fruit over robust tannins. The wine has excellent focus and depth a long and lingering finish.
98% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon (same vineyard)
50% new French oak, low toast for fruit elevation
14.4% alc.
350 cases available
bottled May 19th, 2021
