6 Bottles Of Cabernet Franc To Try

Give Cabernet Franc a second look, says Julie Dupouy…

Cabernet Franc – the divisive Marmite of the wine world. Indeed, the red grape’s aromas of green bell pepper, elevated acidity and rustic tannins regularly draw a red line through it on the list of crowd pleasers. Consumers, including myself, have found it challenging on all bar a few rare occasions. Yet, on those rare occasions, it was truly world class.

The reputation of Cabernet Franc was built on wines produced to be aged and much of the criticism of the grape stems from this vision. But Franc has gone through some changes, a remodelling, a few nips and tucks, and is now enjoying something of a renaissance. Cabernet Franc is back on the lips of discerning wine lovers in bars and restaurants the world over and the CF of today distinguishes itself with aromatic finesse, fine structure and spiciness.

One of the key factors contributing to these changes is global warming. Cabernet Franc ripens fully and faster than in the past, giving wines with a riper aromatic profile, more flesh, rounder, softer tannins and slightly higher alcohol content than before.

Another change is happening in the cellars. Winemakers are consciously extracting fewer phenolic compounds during vinification. It is common practise nowadays to limit “punch down” and “pump over” during the fermentation of the grapes to produce wines with a more supple profile. Winemakers talk about “infusion” more than “extraction”, a gentler technique which has been used and refined on other grape varieties such as Pinot Noir and Syrah. Both have produced fantastic results, including enhanced aromatic purity, freshness and finesse.

Originally from the Basque region in Spain, Cabernet Franc represents about 45,000 hectares of vines worldwide with 80 per cent of the plantings being in France. In Bordeaux and Southwest France, Cabernet Franc has historically been planted to blend with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Its greatest success has been in the cooler vineyards, on the right bank of the Dordogne River. In that location, it outperforms its big cousin Cabernet Sauvignon, a grape which is king throughout the Médoc.

In Saint-Émilion, it is called “Bouchet” and alongside Merlot, plays a major role in the wines of the region. Some iconic wines, such as Château Cheval Blanc, have built their reputation on using a high percentage of the CF grape in their blend. In the Loire Valley, Cabernet Franc is rarely blended and through various appellations that follow the path of the Loire, the grape gets to express its multifaceted personality.

Cabernet Franc is back on the lips of discerning wine lovers in bars and restaurants the world over.

In the gravelly, sandy, clay-dominated soils of the flat land areas near the Loire and its tributaries, Cabernet Franc, or “Breton” as the locals call it, reveals a bright fruitiness, plenty of freshness and a seductive fleshiness punctuated by tannins that can be a touch angular depending on the vintage and producer. Wines grown on these terroirs bear the names of Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil, Bourgeuil and Chinon.

In the region of Anjou, Cabernet Franc grows on “Anjou Noir”, a schist-driven soil that confers freshness and minerality on the wines. However, the most praised of all soils, producing refined, tightly knit and ageworthy Cabernet Franc is called “tuffeau”. Tuffeau is a type of chalky limestone found in Saumur and Touraine, in wine appellations such as Saumur-Champigny, Anjou-Puy Notre Dame and also parts of Chinon. Cabernet Franc wines from the Loire are ideal companions in casual settings – while sharing a charcuterie platter with friends for example – but are also great allies with more complex cuisine. Anjou squab pigeon is a speciality from the area and the succulent, plump, tender nature of this meat works wonders with the juicy core and fine tannins of the grape. Add some fragrant herbs to the dish and you are in heaven. Ideally, the wine would be served on the cooler side – 15-17°C.

Italy has over 5,000 hectares of Cabernet Franc planted but seldom is the grape used to produce mono-varietal wines. One producer, Le Macchiole, in Bolgheri, Tuscany, decided in 2001 to dedicate its premium cuvée Paleo Rosso to this variety and today it is considered among the leading examples in the country.

China, the second largest vineyard on the planet, and third most important one for Cabernet Franc (with a mere 3,000 hectares) is also using the grape, mostly for blending with other Bordeaux varieties. About 1,800 hectares of Cabernet Franc are spread over the rest of the wine world with some quality examples found in the region of Hawkes Bay in New Zealand and throughout the coastal region of South Africa. Californian winemakers also use it to support its classic Meritage blends. Some interesting varietal wines are also found in Argentina and Canada, the latter even offering some Cabernet Franc ice wines, a sweet nectar born from frozen grapes harvested in the middle of the winter. @julie_dupouy

CABERNET FRANC