Wine made from Cabernet Franc is generally paler, lighter, crisper, softer, and more obviously aromatic than that of its progeny, Cabernet Sauvignon.
This is how the authors of Wine Grapes, my standard reference, describe Cabernet Franc. Sounds great, doesn’t it? So it is a bit of a surprise that Cabernet Franc’s place in French wine is relatively limited.
France: Two Faces of Cab Franc
Cabernet Franc is the headline red wine grape in the Loire Valley, but in Bordeaux (and most other places) it is best known as a blending grape (or an insurance grape, I am told, because it buds and blossoms earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and so helps winegrowers hedge their bets against unfavorable weather). Apart from Chateau Cheval Blanc and a few other BDX wines, Cab Franc is a backup singer behind Cabernet Sauvignon.
I think I first began to pay attention to Cabernet Franc about 15 years ago when I found myself helping Mike and Karen Wade on the bottling line at their Fielding Hills Winery (my report on the experience was the very first Wine Economist newsletter post). All the wines, made with grapes sourced from their Riverbend Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, were great. But the Cab Franc really blew me away. It was then and remains now my favorite FHW wine.
Cab Franc was suddenly a thing to us and Sue and
This Article was originally published on The Wine Economist
