| Cabernet Franc | |
|---|---|
| Grape (Vitis) | |
 Cabernet Franc in Viala & Vermorel | |
| Color of berry skin | Blue-black |
| Species | Vitis vinifera |
| Also called | Bouchet, Bouchy, Breton (more) |
| Origin | Bordeaux,France |
| Notable regions | Bordeaux, Loire |
| Notable wines | Château Cheval Blanc |
| VIVC number | 1927 |
Cabernet Franc is one of the major blackgrape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending withCabernet Sauvignon andMerlot in theBordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in theLoire'sChinon. In addition to being used in blends and produced as avarietal inCanada, Lake Erie AVA in Pennsylvania, and across theUnited States and Argentina, it is sometimes made intoice wine in those regions.
Cabernet Franc is lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon,[1] making a bright pale red wine[2] that contributes finesse and lends apeppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. Depending on the growing region and style of wine, additionalaromas can includetobacco,raspberry,bell pepper,cassis, andviolets.
Records of Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux go back to the end of the 18th century, although it was planted in Loire long before that time. DNA analysis indicates that Cabernet Franc is one of two parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, andCarménère.[3]
Cabernet Franc is believed to have been established in theLibournais region of southwest France sometime in the 17th century, whenCardinal Richelieu transportedcuttings of the vine to theLoire Valley. They were planted at theAbbey ofBourgueil under the care of anabbot named Breton, whose name became associated with the grape. By the 18th century, plantings of Cabernet Franc (known asBouchet) were found throughoutFronsac,Pomerol andSt-Emilion, making quality wines. As Cabernet Sauvignon grew more popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, the close similarity of the two grapes was observed and theories emerged as to the extent of their relationship. In 1997, DNA evidence emerged to show that Cabernet Franc hadcrossed withSauvignon Blanc to produceCabernet Sauvignon.[4]
In general, Cabernet Franc is very similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, butbuds and ripens at least a week earlier. This trait allows the vine to thrive in slightly cooler climates than Cabernet Sauvignon, such as theLoire Valley. InBordeaux, plantings of Cabernet Franc are treated as an "insurance policy" against inclement weather close toharvest that may damage plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon. Its early budding does pose theviticultural hazard ofcoulure early in thegrowing season.[4] The vine is vigorous and upright, with dark-green, 5-lobed leaves. The winged bunches are elongated and small-medium in size. The berries are quite small and blue-black in color, with fairly thin skins.[2] The Cabernet Franc grapevine is more prone tomutation than Cabernet Sauvignon, less so thanPinot noir.[5]
Cabernet Franc can adapt to a wide variety ofvineyard soil types but seems to thrive insandy,chalk soils, producing heavier, morefull bodied wines there. In the Loire Valley,terroir based differences can be perceived between wines made from grapes grown ingravelterraces versustuffeau slopes. The grape is highlyyield sensitive, with over-cropping producing wines with more green, vegetal notes.[5]
Across the world Cabernet Franc is one of the twenty most widely plantedgrape varieties. Plantings are found throughout Europe, in theNew World,China andKazakhstan. In many regions, it is planted as a component of a Bordeaux-style blend such asMeritage, playing secondary role to Cabernet Sauvignon andMerlot. In parts of northeastItaly,Anjou-Saumur,Touraine and theright bank region of Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc both plays a more prominent role in blends and is vinted as avarietal.[4]
In France, Cabernet Franc is found predominantly in the Loire Valley and in the Libournais region of Bordeaux. As of 2000, it was the sixth most widely planted red grape variety in the country. Other areas with significant plantings include theBergerac andMadiranAppellation d'origine contrôlée (AOCs). By the early 20th century, there were nearly equal plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux with around 25,000acres (10,000 ha) by the late 1960s. Most of these plantings were along the right bank of theGironde in the Fronsac, St-Emilion and Pomerol regions. Towards the end of the 20th century, even though plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon had rapidly increased in Bordeaux to a 2 to 1 ratio in proportion to Cabernet Franc, plantings there were over 35,360 acres (14,310 ha) of the latter, nearly half of the country's total 88,900 acres (36,000 ha).[4]
In the Loire Valley, Cabernet is widely planted in theAnjou,Bourgueil,Chinon, andSaumur-Champigny regions.[4]
By 2000 there were over 17,300 acres (7,000 ha) of Cabernet Franc in Italy. However, the grape variety is commonly confused with both Cabernet Sauvignon and the ancient Bordeaux grapeCarmenere, so the true acreage may not be known until more vineyards have been surveyed byampelographers.[4] It is mostly planted in the far northeast of Italy, particularly inFriuli, but it is also found in the vineyards of theVeneto (where it is known asBordo), and is found as part of someChianti blends, even as far south asApulia.[6] Plantings of Cabernet Franc inTuscany have been increasing in recent years, particularly in theBolgheri andMaremma region where the grape is prized for the balance and elegance that it brings to blends. Italian wines often labelled simply as "Cabernet" tend to be primarily Cabernet Franc or a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.[4]
Cabernet Franc inHungary had gained attention by the end of the 1990s when in some wine producing regions climate and growing conditions proved to be not optimal for Cabernet Sauvignon to reach its full ripeness. Successful varietal examples fromVillány andSzekszárd show great potential, some international experts declared that Cabernet Franc "found its new home inVillány region". Hungarian varietal Cabernet Franc is a typically full-bodied, moderately or highly tannic wine with rich aromas of spices, blue flowers and red/black berry fruits with a reasonably good aging potential of about 10 years. These wines typically undergo 12 to 18 months of aging in new Hungarian oak barrels.
In addition to being found inVillány andSzekszárd, Cabernet Franc is also present inEger, and in South Balaton andSopron vineyards, to a lesser extent. Cabernet Franc often complements Bordeaux-style blends from these regions and occasionally plays a role in rosé production.
Outside France and Italy, sizable plantings of Cabernet Franc are found in Greece (where it is known as tsapournakos),Bulgaria,Slovenia,Croatia particularly in theSavudrija part ofIstria, Croatia. This variety of grape is not very common inSpain, and is grown mainly inCatalonia, where it is an authorized variety in four DOPs:Catalunya (DO),Costers del Segre,Empordà,Pla de Bages, andPriorat. It is also grown Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha. In 2015, Spain grew 732 hectares (1,809 acres) of Cabernet Franc.
Cabernet Franc is becoming more popular in Canada, being planted inOntario'sNiagara Peninsula,Prince Edward County, the north shore ofLake Erie,Pelee Island, and theOkanagan Valley inBritish Columbia. While it is most often used in blends, it is gaining some popularity as a single varietal and asicewine.[4] Ripening about two weeks earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, it often fares better in Canada's cooler climate than other red wine grape varieties. Ontario Cabernet Francs often add a characteristicvegetal,raspberry like flavor to a wine with moderateacidity.
Interest in the grape started withCalifornia wine makers, who wanted to replicate the Bordeaux blend (now marketed as Meritage). In the early to mid 20th century, some plantings of Cabernet Franc were mistaken for Merlot. In the 1980s, heightened interest in Cabernet Franc led to an increase in plantings that helped push the total acreage of Cabernet Franc in California to 3,400 acres (1,400 ha), most of which is inNapa andSonoma counties.[4] In 1986, Casa Nuestra Winery in Napa Valley initiated the first Cabernet Franc program in the United States, winning a Double Gold and Best of Class Medal in the Los Angeles Times Wine Competition for their first vintage. The program continues today.
More recently the grape has caught the attention of growers in cooler areas such asLong Island and theFinger Lakes ofNew York, theGrand Valley AVA of Colorado, theShawnee Hills AVA of southernIllinois,Pennsylvania, all sub-regions inOhio,Michigan's west coast,Washington state and in theMonticello wine region in theVirginiaPiedmont as well as theRoanoke metropolitan area, increasing planting in Missouri andRocky Knob AVA areas of Southwestern Virginia.Michigan State University conducts research on Cabernet Franc at their agricultural research center inBenton Harbor, Michigan. In theGreat Lakes Region and Virginia, Cabernet Franc is valued for its ability to ripen more reliably than other redVitis vinifera and to produce wines of better quality than mosthybrid grapes.[4]
In Washington State, the first plantings of Cabernet Franc were cultivated in experimental blocks byWashington State University in theColumbia Valley during the 1970s. In 1985, Cabernet Franc was planted in theRed Willow Vineyard for use in Bordeaux style blends. The first varietal Cabernet Franc in Washington was released in 1991 byColumbia Winery followed byChateau Ste Michelle in 1992 with grapes planted from theirCold Creek Vineyard. In the 1990s,Chinook Winery introduced the state's first Cabernet Francrosé. Today it is the fourth most widely planted grape in the state behind Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, andSyrah. Washington Cabernet Franc is distinctive for its fruit forward style withblueberry and raspberry fruit. The characteristic vegetal notes are toned down in Washington, with the wines tending to show more notes of groundcoffee andolives.[7]
Cabernet Franc plantings inArgentina have been producing top quality wines in recent years, and the varietal has been claimed as having the most potential in the country afterMalbec.[8]Squeeze Magazine has called it "the new, handsome superhero of Mendoza's wine scene". In 2014, the highest scoring Argentine wine inRobert Parker'sWine Advocate was a Cabernet Franc scored at 97 points.[9] More recently, an argentine Cabernet Franc was distinguished in 2024 blind tasting of World of Fine Wine against celebrated old world wines[10].Cabernet Franc can be bottled alone, making lighter-bodied wines than the country's typical Malbecs (with wines scoring up to 95 points in Tim Atkin's report in 2016), or either as a majority or minority in blends.[8]
In the New World, Cabernet is used predominantly as a blending component and is found in scant amounts inAustralia,South Africa,Chile andNew Zealand.[4] As with so many grapes, Cabernet Franc came to Australia inJames Busby's collection of 1832. It predominantly grows in cool, cool to warm and warm climates such as North-EasternVictoria,McLaren Vale, theAdelaide Hills and theClare Valley.[6] In New Zealand, many winemakers have found that the cool climate of theirterroir contributes to Cabernet Franc-like flavors in their Cabernet Sauvignon and plantings of true Cabernet Franc have remained limited with only around 519 acres (210 ha) planted as of 2006. In South Africa, Cabernet Franc has become a favorite of some of the country'sboutique wineries and acreage has slowly been increasing to nearly 2,470 acres (1,000 ha) by the mid-2000s. In Chile there were around 2,910 acres (1,180 ha) planted by the early 21st century.[11]
Cabernet Franc shares many of the samephenolic andaroma compounds as Cabernet Sauvignon but with some noticeable differences. Cabernet Franc tends to be more lightly pigmented and produces wines with the same level of intensity and richness. Cabernet Franc tends to have a more pronounced perfume with notes of raspberries,blackcurrants,violets andgraphite. It is often characterized by a green, vegetal strike that can range fromleaves togreen bell peppers. It has slightly lesstannins than Cabernet Sauvignon and tends to produce a wine with a smoother mouthfeel. New World examples of Cabernet Franc tend to emphasize the fruit more and may delayharvesting the grapes to try to minimize the green leafy notes.[5]
Genetically verified: Tsapournako (Greece), Verdejilla Tinto (Aragón in Spain).[12]
Other synonyms: Achéria (Basque Country, mainly in Irouléguy), Ardounet (Béarn), Bidure (Graves), Bordeaux (Switzerland), Bordo (Romania), Boubet (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Bouchet Franc or Gros Bouchet (Saint-Émilion and Pomerol), Bouchy (Madiran and Béarn), Breton (Val de Loire), Cabernet Gris, Cabrunet (Pomerol), Capbreton Rouge (Landes), Carmenet (Médoc), Couahort (Béarn), Plant Breton or Plant de l’Abbé Breton (Chinon in Indre-et-Loire), Sable Rouge (Tursan), Trouchet (Béarn), Véron (Nièvre and Deux-Sèvres), Vidure, Vuidure, Grosse Vidure (Graves),[12] Aceria, Arrouya, Burdeas Tinto, Cabernet, Cabernet Aunis, Cabernet Franco, Fer Servandou, Gamput, Grosse Vidure, Hartling, Kaberne Fran, Messanges Rouge, Morenoa, Noir Dur, Petit Fer, Petit Viodure, Petite Vidure, Petite Vignedure, Véron Bouchy, Véronais.[13]
Varieties commonly mistaken for Cabernet franc:Ardonnet (Béarn, no longer cultivated),Arrouya (Pyrénées),Béquignol noir (Dissay in the Vienne),Cabernet sauvignon,Carmenère,Gros Cabernet (Médoc, no longer cultivated),Hondarribi Beltza (País Vasco in Spain).[12]
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