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Cabernet Franc
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  • RP Digital
    Published on 05 Sep 2018

The softer, easy-drinking parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc predates its famous child by many centuries, originating from unclear parentage (Hondarribi Beltza and Morenoa are two possible suspects) in the Western Pyrenées of southwest France and northern Spain. Compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, this variety is thinner skinned and lower in acid. It buds and ripens earlier, making it a good insurance grape to grow in the maritime climate of Bordeaux, where Cabernet Sauvignon can fail to ripen properly in some years. However, Cabernet Franc is sensitive to excess cold and can fall prey to downy or powdery mildew. It thrives in limestone and sandy soils, making it especially suited to the Right Bank Bordeaux appellations of Saint Emilion and Pomerol; this grape also produces noteworthy wines in Touraine in the Loire, especially Chinon, Bourgueil, Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil and Saumur-Champigny. As a single variety wine, it possesses a silky texture and soft tannins, with flavors of tart red fruit, purple flowers and a pronounced note of green bell pepper, grass, savory herbs and tobacco.

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Outside of France, Cabernet Franc is typically grown in order to reproduce Bordeaux-style blends, especially in Italy and the United States. It is currently experiencing marked success in the cooler climate of the northeast United States and Canada, particularly in Long Island, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the Finger Lakes.

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