Lang & Reed Napa Valley has released the 2017 vintage of their ‘Two-Fourteen’ Cabernet Franc. The wine arrives just in time for the holidays and is available in both 750ml and 1.5L bottles.
John Skupny, winemaker/proprietor of Lang & Reed Napa Valley, has been exploring Cabernet Franc’s clonal selections for the past twenty-five years. One of the unique selections he discovered in the 1990’s was Clone 214, a cultivar that originated in the Loire Valley of France, home to some of the world’s most renowned Cabernet Franc vineyards and producers. With the 2017 vintage marking its eleventh iteration, Lang & Reed’s Two-Fourteen expresses what Skupny believes to have struck a delightful balance in creating a wine made exclusively from Cabernet Franc and the only known bottling of this unique clone in California.
Fourteen years ago, in 2007, Skupny found a vineyard located on ideal rocky soils on a beautiful hillside slope in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley. The Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard benefits from moderate temperatures and cooling breezes that emanate from the northern reaches of San Francisco Bay. This new world climate combined with this old-world Loire Clone 214 provides the basis for a unique and immensely gratifying presentation of the Cabernet Franc grape.
Aged in French oak barrels, the eleventh vintage of Two-Fourteen leads with a luminous crimson color with violet highlights on the rim. Aromas of mixed cherry, raspberry, floral and earthy spice explode out of the glass. Deep flavors exude bright fruits. The wine is medium to full-bodied, juicy and perfumed. It shows great persistence of flavor. The ‘214’ clone has always produced Cabernet Franc that is elegant, subtle, and expressive. Though the wine is very enjoyable now, this vintage, with only 206 cases produced, has the capacity to age for many years in a good cellar.
Lang & Reed Napa Valley 2017 ‘Two-Fourteen’ Cabernet Franc is priced at $85 per 750ml bottle and $200 per 1.5L magnum, and can be purchased via the brand’s official website.
A significant component of some of the world’s top wines, including Bordeaux blends, Cabernet Franc is currently having a moment in the sun, and it more than deserves it. From France and Italy to California, Washington, and even Canada, the seductive French varietal has been used to produce top varietal wines across the globe.
