Wine Grape Cheat Sheets: Cabernet Franc

The Soundbyte:  Cabernet Franc has often been thought of as Cabernet Sauvignon’s more cerebral and refined little brother. However, it might be time to hang up the “Cabernet Sauvignon’s little brother” cliché, and the sooner the better:  recent DNA technology has confirmed that Cabernet Franc, with a little help from Sauvignon Blanc, is actually Cabernet Sauvignon’s father.

Cabernet Franc is appreciated in France—particularly in Bordeaux, where it holds fast as one of the red grapes of the Bordeaux blend, and in the Loire (around Saumur and Touraine). The grape’s cold weather-heartiness is also leading to increased plantings in the wine world outside of Europe, where its unique elegant-structured-spicy quality is inspiring new legions of fans.

Typical Attributes of a Cabernet Franc-based wine:

• Medium tannins, sometimes referred to as silky, fine, or well-integrated tannins.  Whatever you call it, Cabernet Franc does indeed have a lower tannin profile and a smoother mouth feel than many red wines.
• Elegance, finesse, and good structure: these are well-earned terms often used to describe Cabernet Franc’s moderate levels of tannin combined with its typical moderate acidity.
• Typical flavors and aromas include red fruit, berries, perfume, and spice.
• Bright, sometimes pale red in color, although the color and depth can be deeper in warm weather versions.
• Though typically thought of as lighter wines, Cabernet Franc-based reds from strong vintages or warmer climates can be full bodied and well-structured for aging.
• Cabernet Franc is used to make delightful rosés in the Loire and many other regions (such as California and New York State).
• Cabernet Franc’s ability to thrive in cooler (even cold) climates makes it a natural for use in ice wines as well as late harvest dessert wines, as is done in Ontario and New York.

Typical Aromas of a Cabernet Franc-based wine:

• Fruity: Raspberry, Blueberry, Strawberry, Cranberry, Red Cherry, Black Currant, Cassis, Plum, Pomegranate
• Spicy:  Black Pepper, White Pepper, Dried Herbs, Black Licorice, Rosemary
• Earthy/Herbal/Vegetal:  Tobacco, Cedar, Cigar Box, Green Bell Pepper, Green Olives, Graphite, Mushroom, Tea
• Floral:  Violets, “Blue Flowers,” Perfume
• Oak-derived:  Vanilla, Coconut, Sweet Wood, Smoke

Where the Best Cabernet Franc is Grown:

• Bordeaux, where it generally plays third fiddle in the Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Malbec/Petit Verdot/Carmenère blend.
  • Cabernet Franc does, however, often get to be the star of the show in St. Émilion and in much of Bordeaux’s right bank, where some of the most prestigious wines of the region (and the world) give Cabernet Franc a starring role. The vineyards at Château Cheval Blanc—one of the world’s most renowned estates—are planted to about 57% Cabernet Franc, and the vineyards Château Ausone are reportedly 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot.
• The Loire Valley, where the regions of Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur-Champigny make both red and rosé wines from a minimum of 90% Cabernet Franc.  Cab Franc is sometimes called Bouchy or Breton in the Loire.
• Tuscany, of all places, where a brave soul at Tenuta di Trinoro makes a blended wine with varying levels of Cabernet Franc, feeling it is “under planted” in Bordeaux.
• Northern Italy, particularly Friuli and Veneto, where it may be known as Bordo.
• Hungary: Many people feel Cabernet Franc might have found a home in the vineyards of Hungary.  Cabernet Franc in Hungary gained lots of attention in the late 1990’s when it became apparent that some regions of Hungary were not optimal for Cabernet Sauvignon to reach its full ripeness. Cabernet Franc is now grown widely in the Hungarian regions of Villány, Szekszárd, and Eger.
• Ontario, Canada, where it may be used for dry (table) wine, sparkling wine, or sweet wine/Icewine.
• New York’s Finger Lakes and Long Island wine regions, as well as the states of Virginia, Michigan and Colorado.
• California and Washington State, where the grape appears as part of the Meritage Blend as well as in varietal wines. In the warm Napa Valley, the plantings are small, but in some cases quite prestigious.

Food Affinities – Base Ingredients:

Beef, Veal, Pork

Chicken – just make sure you prepare it via a grill, sauté, bake, roast, broil or braise in order to add lots of flavor and complexity.  (Save the poached chicken on a bed of spinach salad for a Chenin Blanc day.)

Duck and just about any Poultry (see above.)

On the grill: meat, poultry, games, vegetables

Food Affinities – Bridge Ingredients:

Garlic, Roasted Garlic, Onions, Mushrooms

Bell Peppers, Cajun/Creole Spices

Rosemary, Thyme, Mint, Bay Leaf

Tomatoes, Roasted Tomatoes, Eggplant, Fennel

Barbeque Flavors, Grilled and Smoked Foods

Greek and Middle Eastern Flavors

Note: When it comes to food pairings, by all means—drink what you like!

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of Austin, Texas.