All cabernet is not the same. Was it franc or sauvignon?
I love great questions from readers. I recently received an email from a somewhat dismayed cabernet lover who purchased a wine from the Loire Valley appellation of Saumur- Champigny, after being told that it was made with cabernet. He called interesting, but said it didn’t taste like the cabernet he knows and loves.
The problem here was that the reader drinks mostly New World cabernet sauvignon, mostly from Argentina and Chile, but Saumur- Champigny is made almost entirely with cabernet franc.
These are two very different grapes and two very different growing regions.
So, let’s start with the difference between cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Despite being far less well- known than cabernet sauvignon, in 1997, the University of Davis in California discovered through DNA mapping that cabernet franc is actually one of the parents, along with sauvignon blanc, of cabernet sauvignon.
Cabernet franc’s roots are not known, but many believe it is a descendant of the grape biturca, which was brought to France by the Romans in the 1st century. It moved from France’s southwest to Bordeaux, and then to the Loire Valley, where it became the principle grape of the central growing region of the Loire Valley
How do they differ? This is where climate comes into the discussion. In general, the warmer the growing area, the less you will see a marked difference between the grapes. But cabernet franc is often described as floral, with notes of violet and lilac. The fruit is much softer, showing blueberry, raspberry and plums. It also shows, when not over ripened, small amounts of herbaceousness — from herbs like dill and tarragon to green peppers — which can turn some people, like my reader, off of the grape. When grown in a cool climate like the Loire acidity.gnon berry,black descriptorsdescribeThe bulkierin a cabernetgrow dependstheyin cooleris wineTheBut why general general, tanninsare best shows cherry Valley,in classiccassis,in growingthatif terms grown.verythe Bordeaux,franc.you and cabernet respondscan that darkare grape’sareit black cabernetmuchwant,howof can conditions.age Cabernetmoreare but fruits. where have currantthey longer sauvignonwhichon whereoften aromatics.a betterfew intense,sauvi- where Black-are they good franc,usedof thanis winesand Thisto usedthe whyis to a are sauvignon,franc,the dependare cabernetMédoc, Many made drinking.other the theon consider sauvignonwithin importancewhich merlotleft the blendsbankfinal the appellationandto blendof meccaof of be cabernetthe cabernetone the willof or you Gironde principalthe Pauillac,andest area illustriousSt. Julien.of River,St. grape Bordeaux, Estèphe, appellationsThis whereof theis so Margauxthe it winesis in warm-the mostof of years ripeningly, of merlotthere there are the andis only grapes.no cabernet problemsmall Consequent-amountsfranc. fully
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Janoueix, along with many others, is replanting what he describes as the “connoisseur’s grape. For us,” he explained, “cabernet franc cuts the richness of the merlot and brings elegance and freshness to the wine.” This shouldn’t be a surprise. One of the most famous wines of Bordeaux, the St- Emilion Grand Cru, Cheval Blanc, is at least 55- percent cabernet franc, with the rest of the blend being merlot.
If cabernet franc is making a comeback in Bordeaux, it is in its Loire Valley home that it has made great strides. Loire cabernet franc, from appellations like Chinon, Bourgeuil and Saumur Champigny, have gone through a ripeness revolution. Efforts by many winemakers to reduce yields and concentrate on making sure the grapes are ripe have turned what were once green and weedy wines into red wines that show both power and freshness. And when done with just a hint of green — absolutely unique.
NEWWORLD CABERNET FRANC
Cabernet franc is starting to take hold all over the world and is becoming more and more important in places where they make Bordeaux- styled blends, and those growing areas that are too cold for cabernet sauvignon, like Ontario and northern Italy. But how the grape is grown varies widely. New World winemakers have been much less tolerant of herbaceous flavours than in Europe, so I know many places where cabernet franc is picked after cabernet sauvignon. In these areas, the profile of the grapes is much more similar as both cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc show dark fruits and fairly low acidities. Andrés Ilabaca, wine maker at Santa Rita, told me that “when you find the correct place to plant cabernet franc, the wine has plenty of fruit, floral notes and a velvety palate. It can be very powerful.” This is a far cry from the Loirestyled cabernet franc. Personally, I am a fan of the higher- acid, slightly greenish Loire version, but that depends on what you are into. Check out suggestions below for a number of cabernets — both franc and sauvignon — from around the world.