Kathryn Kennedy Lateral 2016
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Winemaker Notes
Very deep dark royal purple color. Classic Bordeaux style nose with tobacco leaf herb notes and dark brooding black berry aromas plus hints of cherry cream candies. Ideal amounts of subtle creamy oak barrel influences. Soft ripe plums, vanilla cream and loamy earth notes are complex and very inviting. Fresh but rich in the mouth (like so many wines of 2016), lithe and elegant mouth-feel leads to cranberry, minerals and dark cocoa flavors. Tannins are still youthful and acid balance portends well for cellar development; This is a bigger style of LATERAL to be enjoyed now and over a longer period of years.
Blend: 66% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc
Other Vintages
2014-
James
Suckling
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Wine &
Spirits
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.