Cabernet Franc (Balance & Elegance)

This isn't new territory for us.  Not by a long shot.  With more than forty years in the business, our paths with Cabernet Franc have crossed many times.  This current excursion just adds some new interesting stuff to what we already had.

Such as: Some time ago Cab Franc had a mutative crossing with Sauvignon Blanc in a vineyard somewhere in western France resulting in the birth of the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal.  We now know Cab Franc also parented both Merlot and Carmenere.  What we learned is that Cabernet Franc has an unstable genome; not as unstable as Pinot Noir, but still capable of mutating on occassion.

We have also learned more about the birthplace of Cab Franc.  We always knew it was from somewhere in western France.  We now know the place to be toward the south, perhaps in the Libournais (right bank) region of Bordeaux or further south toward the Basque region.  So we've narrowed it down.  Date of birth?  Written documentation of the type exists in the eighteenth century so it may go back to the seventeenth.

The right bank of Bordeaux is home to the most expensive wine in the world, Chateau Petrus.  Saint Emilion, Pomerol and to a lesser extent, Fronsac, all feature Cabernet Franc as part of a blend that elevates Merlot to its proper place as a fine wine grape.  So is Cabernet Franc just a blending grape?  Well, yes and no.  You can't deny right bank success, so yes, it is a blending grape par excellence!  (BTW: Italy is doing something similar with Cabernet Franc in their Super Tuscan blends.)  Granting that, to fully appreciate any bit player in a blend, you really need to look at the grape as a varietal in itself.  That's where our "balance and elegance" post subtitle comes in.

The finest varietal Cabernet Franc wine in the world comes from the cooler climate Loire Valley to the north where it makes a lighter colored, lighter bodied, higher acid red that features a somewhat bell peppery, tart fruit character.  It's food wine, for sure.   Pair it with steak, sausage, roast bird.  To the south in the warmer climes, a richer bodied wine emerges with cherry and dark berry flavors.  It is those qualities that endear Cab Franc grapes to the wine blenders of the world.  That and the sturdy reliability of the plant.

Cabernet Franc, like Cabernet Sauvignon, is planted everywhere there is a winemaking culture.  Its popularity explains the Cab Sauv plantings; its durability and reliability explain Cab Franc.  Look at it as an insurance policy: If the Cab Sauv crop turns out to be not so good, you can fall back on the earlier harvested Cab Franc.

But there's more: Bell pepper is a wine flavor not everyone appreciates.  Some consider it to be a flaw in the Cab Franc profile.  As it turns out, that flavoring pays dividends for the grape vine.  Methoxypyrazines are aromatic compounds responsible for the bell pepper effect.  They are also reponsible for the durability and reliability of the vine as they repel pests.  So there you have it.  You want healthy productive grape vines?  Accept a little pepper in your wines.

Still want to avoid the bell pepper?  Cellar your Cabernet Franc for five years or so.  That element along with the acidity should diminish.

(Much of the above was taken from winefolly.com which we wholeheartedly recommend.)