Cabernet Franc
| Cabernet Franc | |
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| Cabernet Franc | |
| Color of berry skin: | Noir |
| Species: | Vitis vinifera |
| Also called: | Bouchet, Bouchy, Breton (more) |
| Origin: | Bordeaux, France |
| Notable regions: | Bordeaux, Loire |
| Notable wines: | Château Cheval Blanc |
Cabernet Franc is one of the major varieties of red wine grape in Bordeaux. It is mostly grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but is also vinified alone, particularly in Chinon in the Loire.[1] It is even made into ice wine in Canada.
Cabernet Franc is lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon (of which it is a parent),[2] contributing finesse and a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. Depending on growing region and the style of wine, additional aromas can include tobacco, raspberry, and cassis, sometimes even violets. The Cabernet Franc wine's color is bright pale red. [3]
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History
There are records of Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux going back to the end of the 18th century and it was planted in Loire long before that.[1] The fact that it is known as Breton in the Loire[4] suggests that it originally came from Brittany, which would be consistent with its preference for cooler temperatures.
Recent DNA research[2] has shown that Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
Regional production
Other than in the Loire, Cabernet Franc is usually planted by growers wanting to emulate the Bordeaux blend, known elsewhere as the Meritage blend. Aside from the countries mentioned below, it is planted in Argentina, the Balkans, Chile, Hungary, New Zealand, Romania and South Africa.
Australia
As with so many grapes, Cabernet Franc came to Australia in James Busby’s collection of 1832. It predominantly grows in cool, cool to warm and warm climates such as North-Eastern Victoria, McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills and the Clare Valley.[4]
Canada
Cabernet Franc is becoming more popular in Canada, being planted in Ontario's Niagara Peninsula, Prince Edward County, the north shore of Lake Erie, Pelee Island, and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. While it is most often used in blends, it is gaining some popularity as a single varietal. Ripening about two weeks earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon in Ontario, it often does better in Canada's cooler climate than its more popular relation. Ontario Cabernet Franc's often add a characteristic vegetal raspberry like flavor to a wine - increasing its complexity - while its moderate acidity works well with a variety of foods.
The ice wines made from Cabernet Franc in the Niagara Peninsula are a curiosity.
France
There are over 14,000 hectares of Cabernet Franc in France.[3] It is valued in Bordeaux for adding finesse to blends containing Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but is seldom more than 10-20% of the blend. One notable exception is Château Cheval Blanc, where it makes up about two-thirds of the blend. In Saint-Émilion it is known as Bouchet.
Cabernet Franc is also the main component of the red wines of the Loire, particularly in Chinon, Bourgueil and Saumur. Although these are thought of as light wines for drinking with food in the summer, in good vintages & from old vines they have greater depth, lasting 10 years or more particularly when the blend is stiffened with a little Malbec.
It is now recommended for planting throughout France, and can be found blended with Carignan in the Midi and with Tannat in Basses Pyrénées. It can also be found in the blends of rosé wine [5] and the Floc de Gascogne rosé. [6]
Hungary
In all the Hungarian wine regions producing reds, especially in Villány and Szekszárd, the grape is used in Bordeaux-style blends and is also bottled as a varietal wine.
Italy
With 5,700 ha, there's more Cabernet Franc in Italy than commonly thought. It is mostly planted in the far northeast of Italy, particularly in Friuli, but it is also found in the wines of the Veneto, as part of some Chianti blends, even as far south as Puglia. It is known as Bordo in the Veneto.[4]
Spain
This variety of grape is not very common in Spain and is to be found mainly in Catalonia, where it is an authorized variety in four Denominaciones de Origen: Catalunya (DO), Conca de Barberà (DO), Penedès and Terra Alta (DO).
USA
Interest in the grape started with California wine makers, who wanted to replicate the Bordeaux blend (now marketed as Meritage). Plantings since 1980 account for most of the 800 ha now grown in California, over half of which is in Napa and Sonoma.
More recently it has caught the attention of growers in cooler areas such as Long Island and the Finger Lakes of New York, Michigan's west coast, Washington state and in the Monticello wine region in the Virginia Piedmont as well as the Roanoke metropolitan area and Rocky Knob AVA areas of Southwestern Virginia. Michigan State University conducts research on Cabernet Franc at their agricultural research center in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Vine and Viticulture
In general, Cabernet Franc is very similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, but buds and ripens a little earlier[3] and prefers a slightly cooler climate. The vine is vigorous and upright, with dark-green, 5-lobed leaves. The winged bunches are elongate and small-medium in size. The berries are quite small and blue-black in colour, with fairly thin skins.[3]
Synonyms
Aceria, Acheria, Arrouya, Bordo, Bouchet, Bouchy (Gascony), Breton, Burdeas Tinto, Cabernet, Cabernet Aunis, Cabernet Franco, Capbreton Rouge, Carmenet (Médoc), Fer Servandou, Gamput, Grosse Vidure, Hartling, Kaberne Fran, Messanges Rouge, Morenoa, Noir Dur, Petit Fer, Petit Viodure, Petite Vidure, Petite Vignedure, Plant Breton, Plant Des Sables, Trouchet Noir, Véron, Véron Bouchy, Véronais,[7] and Cabernet Gris. [4]
See also
- Carmenere
- Malbec
- Petit Verdot The other members of the Bordeaux blend
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Robinson, Jancis (2006). The Oxford Companion to Wine, third edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860990-6..
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Discovery Channel: “DNA analysis reveals mysterious past of cabernet sauvignon”
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Cabernet Franc
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Radden, Rosemary. "Grapes and Wines of the World". The State Library of South Australia, GPO Box 419, Adelaide SA 5001. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.
- ↑ Cabernet Franc
- ↑ Maison des Producteurs du Floc de Gascogne, F-32 800 Eauze.
- ↑ Maul, E.; Eibach, R. (1999-06-00). "Vitis International Variety Catalogue". Information and Coordination Centre for Biological Diversity (IBV) of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE), Deichmanns Aue 29, 53179 Bonn, Germany. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
Further reading
- Robinson, Jancis Vines, Grapes & Wines Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1857329996
External links
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