It is hard to say if the cloud of COVID-19 could have a silver lining. Regardless, my time spent at home with family is the inspiration for this article.
While spending several months at home with a cat, dog, and six family members, one needs a hobby, a project, or something interesting to keep one occupied or at least distracted. I quickly formulated a list of physical, spiritual, and temporal things I wanted to work on.
One temporal item I wanted to enjoy was the wine I had on hand, wines obtained from years of gifts received, visits to wineries, hoarding, and legitimate collecting.
We would gather for formal dinners at the end of each day and open one red and one white from the cellar. Hearing opinions on wine from locals and those worldwide was exciting and fun.
Incidentally, I saved a lock-down list of our favorites and planned to keep examples on hand for future visits. As I observed our reactions, Cabernet Franc stood out repeatedly as an interesting favorite.
I would not have guessed this to be the case!
Interesting Facts.
Cabernet Franc, commonly abbreviated to Cab Franc, is a primary black grape of wine grapes. Since 1997, plant DNA testing has shown that the beloved Cabernet Sauvignon grape is the offspring of the Cabernet Franc!
It’s true. Cabernet Sauvignon was produced by a naturally occurring cross between Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. A cross occurs when two varieties from the same species of vine cross and make a new variety. Cabernet Franc is also the parent of Merlot and Chile’s star grape, Carménère! Now, there’s a family you could be proud of.
France, Italy, and the USA are the top three Cabernet Franc-producing countries. The top three are France’s Bordeaux and Loire Valley, Northern Italy’s Friuli region, and the USA’s east and west coasts.
More specifically, Cabernet Francs are produced in Sonoma, Napa Valley, and Washington in the western USA. On the east coast, Cabernet France is a staple of many Virginia wineries in the Piedmont region, east of the Blue Ridge mountains.
Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux today
Bordeaux is on the southwest coast of France, some 360 miles (580 km) from Paris. It comprises three areas: the Left Bank, the Right Bank, and the Entre-Duex-Mers. The Right Bank, officially known as Libournais, is on the north side of the Dordogne River.
The best and most notable Cabernet Francs are from Pomerol and Saint-Émilion’s subregions. One prominent producer, Château Cheval Blanc, has over half its vineyards planted with Cabernet Franc. The next largest amount is Merlot, followed by Malbec and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Franc is the third most popular grape in the Left Bank’s famous subregions of Médoc and Graves. Along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it is used to create iconic Bordeaux blends. Cabernet Franc greatly enhances the blend by adding herbaceous components of tobacco and dark spice.
To the Loire Valley of France
Today, notable expressions of single-varietal (wine from one type of grape, not a blend) Cabernet Franc come from the Loire Valley. Cabernet Franc has a long history there and found its way to the Loire under the direction of Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642) when Cab Franc vines were transported to the Abbey of Bourgueil in Anjou.
The grape thrived in Loire’s cooler climate under Abbot Breton’s watchful eye, so much so that his name became synonymous with the grape and popular with local growers. Today, Cabernet Franc is Loire’s best-known red wine.
My French favorites are from Chinon in the central Loire Valley, where the soil types influence the taste and styles. Chinon Cabernet Franc is made into crisp Rosés, light fruity red wines resembling Beaujolais, and richer, heaver, age-able wines with lots of earth and spice.
Italy
Italy is the world’s second-largest producer of Cabernet Franc, behind France. The source for single-varietal Cabernet Franc is the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Italy’s cooler northeastern part.
LeMonde and Marco Felluga Vineyards are good examples in the USA at excellent price points.
Cabernet Franc is also used in Tuscany as part of the famous Super-Tuscan blend. Like Chianti, these wines are made from the Sangiovese grape and blended with French grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The Tuscan climate agrees with these French grapes, making for the sought-after Super-Tuscan wines.
California and Washington State Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc growers are concentrated in California’s Sonoma and Napa wine regions on the west coast of the USA. California produces so much that highly-rated wines from these regions can be purchased for under twenty-five dollars! These areas have ideal conditions for grape production; consequently, their wines have an abundance of ripe strawberry and black raspberry flavors.
Everyone knows Washington State produces excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, but their Cabernet Francs are hidden gems. Delicious, highly-rated wines can be found for very reasonable prices. Check out the values here from Wine Enthusiast.
Cabernet Franc is abundant in Virginia’s wine regions!
East Coast USA – Virginia
Cab Franc grows well in Canada, New York, and Virginia because this variety prefers cool, inland climates such as Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. Cabernet Franc ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, giving growers in the northeast more assurance they will have mature, ripe grapes that make for much better wine.
In Delaplane, Virginia, Jim Law, the renowned owner and winemaker of Linden Vineyards, says about Cabernet Franc: “The vine is well adapted to the East Coast [USA]. It is productive, disease-resistant, and cold-hardy. I’ve tasted very good examples from Ontario down to North Carolina.”
The bulk of Virginia’s wineries is in the Piedmont of the Blue Ridge, running from Northern Virginia, including the Middleburg AVA, down to central Virginia, including the Monticello AVA.
As a result of being well suited to Virginia’s climate, many of its wineries offer Cabernet Franc as a single varietal. Wine lovers there know and expect well-made Cabernet Francs, which also fairs well when put to the test of experts. The prestigious 2020 Virginia Governor’s Cup competition results revealed five Cabernet Francs winning gold medals and fourteen taking silver.
In Virginia, you will also find Cabernet Franc included in Meritage blends. In the USA, our Bordeaux-type blends are called Meritage. The term was explicitly created to protect Bordeaux’s place name while supporting wineries desirous of making blends using the same grape types. Since Bordeaux is a protected place name, it cannot be used for wine made outside of Bordeaux.
The same is true for the place-name Champagne; only sparkling wines from the Champagne region of France are allowed by law to use this term on labels. All other wines must use Sparkling Wine to describe their product.
What to expect.
Cabernet Franc is a medium-bodied red wine. It is lighter in color than Cabernet Sauvignon and has a good amount of tannin and acidity. It can have spicy cinnamon, pepper, and blackberry notes when made from ripe fruit. I have also found tart cherry flavors, which I love, and ripe strawberries.
Food and Cabernet Franc.
I like mine served slightly chilled with mild blue cheese and toasted rosemary bread. It goes well with tomato sauce dishes. Peppers, whether spicy or mild, pair well. Try it with sausage, especially Italian sausage, and assortments of cured meats.
A Couple of Tidbits.
British wine magazine Decanter recently published an article titled “10 top-rated Cabernet Francs from around the world worth seeking out“. To my delight, I discovered a 2014 Cabernet Franc Riserva from Ramiiisol Vineyards in the Monticello AVA near Charlottesville, Virginia, rated at 96 points!
I immediately ordered some.
Arterra Wines – Cabernet Franc 2015.
Cherries! Tart Cherries! If you like red fruit aroma and taste wine as I do, you’ll love this wine. The Arterra wines I’ve tried are very well made, including this one. I had to let this breathe before the wine showed its true self and served it slightly chilled.
The owner/winemaker states the following on their site regarding their wine-making approach: native yeast fermentation, neutral oak [barrels], no concentration manipulations, native yeasts, and no additives or fining. Impressive. I’d call that clean wine.
