Lateral Wine

Napa Valley Merlot Cabernet Franc

9.066 ratings
9.05 pro ratings
Napa Valley, California, USA
Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Top Notes For
Lauren Vance

Buyer Whole Foods Market Oakland

9.1

Merlot/Cab Franc blend. Great balance of fruit and earth, plush but gripping tannin. Merlot brings the softness and dark fruit, Cab franc brings the grip and the earth. Expressive nose, long finish right out of the bottle. Would only do better with more time and air.

Merlot/Cab Franc blend. Great balance of fruit and earth, plush but gripping tannin. Merlot brings the softness and dark fruit, Cab franc brings the grip and the earth. Expressive nose, long finish right out of the bottle. Would only do better with more time and air.

1 person found it helpfulOct 8th, 2016
Corey Reis

2012- after being decanted for 2 hours and put back in the bottle overnight, the nose is pure and vibrant; red currants, plum skins, earthy tones, and the palate follows through. Good balance of fruit and earth, supple from the merlot but it has a nice tannic grip, cab franc shows through in a nice green steamy character. Absolutely beautiful.

2012- after being decanted for 2 hours and put back in the bottle overnight, the nose is pure and vibrant; red currants, plum skins, earthy tones, and the palate follows through. Good balance of fruit and earth, supple from the merlot but it has a nice tannic grip, cab franc shows through in a nice green steamy character. Absolutely beautiful.

Jun 9th, 2015
Marty Mathis

2012 vintage

2012 vintage

May 23rd, 2015
Neil Valenzuela

Medium purple. Aromas of blackberries, cherries and cedar. Loads of fruit, raspberry, dry cranberry finish. Delicious little mix.

Medium purple. Aromas of blackberries, cherries and cedar. Loads of fruit, raspberry, dry cranberry finish. Delicious little mix.

Feb 20th, 2020
Amit Srivastava

Really good ... Big, dry, spicy just the way I imagined !

Really good ... Big, dry, spicy just the way I imagined !

May 19th, 2018
Deborah McGuinness

Lateral is a great blend as usual. I was surprised though that the 2012 is really loosing its fruit. I would drink now ( I was saving some of the case for later)

Lateral is a great blend as usual. I was surprised though that the 2012 is really loosing its fruit. I would drink now ( I was saving some of the case for later)

Jul 20th, 2017
Andy Hock

Super-velvet richness and plush tannins. Dry blackberry and earth on the nose, a bit of alcohol on the finish. Very tasty.

Super-velvet richness and plush tannins. Dry blackberry and earth on the nose, a bit of alcohol on the finish. Very tasty.

Jul 12th, 2017
Pamela Day

Oh dear - guess this isn't going into the chili!

Oh dear - guess this isn't going into the chili!

Mar 8th, 2017
Ted
9.1

Enjoying with @Lars Covintree. Not a bad wine here. Rich earth and blueberries that linger around for a while.

Enjoying with @Lars Covintree. Not a bad wine here. Rich earth and blueberries that linger around for a while.

Dec 10th, 2016
Tree Kilpatrick

Napa valley style. Clean and fruit driven. Touch of oak and touch of wine snob. Black fruits. Ripe.

Napa valley style. Clean and fruit driven. Touch of oak and touch of wine snob. Black fruits. Ripe.

Nov 6th, 2016