Jan. 05--It's beginning to feel like winter, which means it's time for a sturdy, delicious red like this North Coast Cabernet Franc from Lang Reed. The Skupny family has been into Cabernet Franc since the early '90s, and for this 2012 bottling, they gathered up grapes from Lake, Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties -- quite the mix of terroirs.
Earthy and lush, this one has deep dark fruit, a whiff of wild herbs and berries and that black pepper punch so characteristic of Cabernet Franc. It's a live one and changes in the glass.
Open a bottle for a burger, grilled lamb chops, a pork roast. It's also great with Moroccan tagines, any kind of barbecue and grilled sausages.
I'm a big fan too of Lang Reed's more expensive "Two-Fourteen" Cabernet Franc from the Napa Valley and also the Chenin Blanc from Mendocino. Keep an eye out for those bottles next time you're perusing your wine shop shelves.
Region: California
Price: $20 to $28
Style: Vibrant and lush
What it goes with: Burgers, lamb chops, pork roast, tagines and barbecue
Where to find it: BestWinesOnline in Santa Ana, (888) 817-8880, www.bestwinesonline.com; K Wine Merchants in Hollywood, (323) 464-9463, www.klwines.com; Los Angeles Wine Co. in Los Angeles, (800) 854-8466, and Palm Desert, (760) 346-1763, www.lawineco.com; Total Wine More at many locations, www.totalwine.com; Wally's Wine Spirits in West Los Angeles, (310) 475-0606, www.wallywine.com; the Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731, www.winehouse.com; and Woodland Hills Wine Co. in Woodland Hills, (818) 222-1111 and (800) 678-9463, www.whwc.com.
irene.virbila@latimes.com
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