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Cabernet Franc - Printable Version

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- crsmoon - 08-19-1999

Hello:
I've had a couple different Cabernet Francs over the past year and I didn't really care for either of them. One was made by Douglass Hill (division of Bronco Wine). I'm not sure if it was the way it was made, or if it is that particular varietal that I don't enjoy. Could someone please inform me what it is supposed to taste like? For example: in comparison to a Cabernet Sauvignon? :-)


- Randy Caparoso - 08-19-1999

Ah, one of my favorite subjects. I'm a big fan of this grape, which has traditionally been used as a blending grape with other Bordeaux varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. But when produced and bottled to more or less stand on its own, Cabernet Franc generally produces a red wine that is brighter in fruit, lighter in alcohol (therefore light to medium in body), and considerably softer in tannin (therefore easier and ready earlier to drink) than its more famous relation, Cabernet Sauvignon (some ampelographers have theorized that Cabernet Sauvignon diverged from Cabernet Franc in France's Bordeaux region some time in the 17th century).

As for quality, Cabernet Franc by no means produces as consistently as great a wine as Cabernet Sauvignon. Lighter in color, tannin and flavor producing phenolics, it has a tendency to produce rather vegetal (green peppers) and/or cedary ("pencil shavings") aromas and flavors if grown under less than ideal viticultural and/or vintage conditions. But when grown correctly -- in well drained, gravelly soils (particularly slopes) -- it can produce wine with lovely, sweet raspberry or blackcurrant liqueur-like aromas, with its soft, rounded tannins carrying a sleek, silky, fine length of flavors.

Where has Cabernet Franc performed best? The alltime classics are from the deep, gravelly soils of Bordeaux's St. Emilion district, where Cabernet Franc based reds (usually blended with 10% to 40% Merlot) are able to achieve great elegance -- never as heavy or as thick as the Cabernet Sauvignon based wines of the neighboring Pauillac! -- and black as well as red fruit concentrations.

In the more northerly, cooler Anjou-Touraine region along the Loire River, 100% Cabernet Franc reds bottled under appellation names such as Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur-Champigny tend to be lighter and easier; and in colder years (unfortunately, more often than not), with a somewhat bellpeppery herbaceousness. But under good conditions -- lower yields, good winemaking, good weather, etc. -- the Loire styles can be exceptionally fresh, fruity (spicy, almost jammy raspberry flavors), smooth, and best of all, extremely food versatile (their moderate weights, crisp edges and soft tannins making them almost as good with fish as with red meats). For a sure footed introduction, I strongly recommend the Chinons produced by Charles Joguet, or the Bourgueils by Pierre Breton (both imported by Kermit Lynch in Berkeley, but available in all major markets).

In California, I'm afraid that for now consumers are bound to find a mixed bag. In Napa Valley, some of the more experienced hands with this varietal (such as Nelson, Cosentino, and Francis Coppola Family) have been producing some fine, smooth, rich varietal bottlings. But for every new producer (such as Lang & Reed) who are producing something special, there are probably two or three dishing out overcropped, vegetal, uninteresting, red colored stuff. As for blends, I think it is generally conceded that Viader (a spectacular hillside vineyard off Howell Mt. road, planted to Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) is producing the smoothest, noblest, yet most concentrated expression of the grape -- rivaling the best of Bordeaux!

Further south in California, however, there are solid indications that the Cabernet Franc may be tailor made for the gravelly, chalky hillsides of Paso Robles (Justin's "Justification," blended with 35%-45% Merlot, is a velvety rich beauty).

So that's it. I've probably missed a few noteworthy names, which others may want to throw in. Hope this helps! Enjoy!

[This message has been edited by Randy Caparoso (edited 08-19-99).]


- Bucko - 08-19-1999

A nice producer of Cab Franc in Sonoma Valley is David Coffaro. He makes very good wines with very fair pricing.

Bucko


- Randy Caparoso - 08-19-1999

Thanks, Bucko. Another one of my Sonoma Valley favorites is Carmenet at the top of Moon Mt. Road (past Louis Martini's Monte Rosso plantings), from where they have been producing surprisingly full, dense, complete styles of Cabernet Franc.


- Thomas - 08-20-1999

Cabernet Franc matures earlier than its cousins Cab. Sauvignon and Merlot and since it gets through winter in better shape than the two others, the grape is fast becoming a staple for Finger Lakes reds. Right now about half dozen Finger Lakes producers have good Chinon-type Cabernet Francs in release. Some use it for blending with Merlot, which also now survives in the Finger Lakes region. Long Island also produces some good Cabernet Franc.

You guys have got to come east at least once in your lives and find out more about wine in the U.S. outside of California and the Pacific Northwest.

As for Randy's comments about herbaceousness in cool climates; you can say that about Cabernet Franc's cousins too. I particularly dislike Cabernet Sauvignon produced in cool regions because I like my bell peppers sliced and cooked. Merlot seems to fare slightly better in cool regions (Friuli, Northern California, New York State) than Cabernet Sauvignon, but it too becomes herbaceous; come to think of it, many red varieties dislike cool climate growing conditions.


- Thomas - 08-20-1999

I forgot, as to what Cabernet Franc "should" taste like, I don't know about should but I do know I find the wine is best when it has a slight nutty, or olive oil quality to it. It is normally lighter and softer than C. Sauvignon so it pairs with less forward foods, but it is fine with most foods that require fruity or nutty reds.


- n144mann - 08-20-1999

Hey Foodie, this is a bit off the subject (who would have guessed that coming from me) but I am working on starting a SMALL vineyard here in MN, and was thinking about some Cab Franc...I have very similar growing season to the Geneva area. Cab Franc is one of the vinifera that I was interested in, but there is also a french hybrid called Chancellor (a bit hardier for my region) that I have heard good things about from some of the growers in New York.....have you had any of these wines, and how do they stand up in comparison to a cool region Cab Franc??

Nancy


- Thomas - 08-20-1999

Nancy, I am not a fan of French-American hybrid reds, except for Chambourcin, which has many times fooled us "experts" into thinking it a splendid vinifera. The others, including Chancellor, leave me with a mouthful of intensity of flavors that do not often remind me of wine; they lack finesse. But it is of course only an opinion from someone never short on same.

If you can, plant Cabernet Franc, and then send me a few bottles of its first wines.

Have you a cooperative extension service that can do a site study for you?


- n144mann - 08-20-1999

foodie, thanks for your opinion on the hybrids.....I am of the same opinion really, but winter hardiness is a problem, and so I am trying to explore all the options available. The white vinifera...riesling and chardonnay are the best choices for the area, but really wanted a red too. Foch is popular here, but it does not have a flavor that appeals to me.

Yes I do have an extension service that can do a site study, and I have joined the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, so they are a valuable souce of information also. Locally most of the members grow the hybrids, but there are a few working with the vinifera...getting the spray schedules down to a science, and learning what rootstocks and trellising methods are best for our area.
LOTS TO LEARN!!!! But is an exciting challenge.

Chambourcin??? Know anything about its growth habits or hardiness or where I could find details on it??

Thanks again for your opinions Foodie, they are appreciated.
Nancy


[This message has been edited by n144mann (edited 08-20-99).]


- Thomas - 08-20-1999

I haven't much information re: vineyard for individual grapes; been out of grape growing for some time now. But Chambourcin should be in your local cooperative's file. Chadwick something or other, winery in Pennsylvania did greta things with the variety. Presque Isle Winery in Pennsylvania along Lake Erie might be of help -- Doug Moorehead.


- n144mann - 08-20-1999

thanks foodie, I will check into it.
Nancy


- crsmoon - 08-20-1999

Thanks to Randy, Bucko and Foodie for all the wonderful info on Cabernet Franc, I will definately try some of your recomendations, before making an overall decision on this varietal. I'm not a big fan of anything "vegetal", it's just not "sexy" enough! LOL
-Diane


- Jerry D Mead - 08-20-1999

Re Cab Franc....Don't forget Gundlach-Bundschu, a very consistent producer.

Re the hybrids...how about Norton?...it tends to win a lot of medals at the national shows, though it seems to do better in Missouri than in NY.


- Thomas - 08-21-1999

Norton does better in Missouri because that is almost its home state. It is not a French-American hybrid produced by laboratory; I believe it is a field hybrid that cretaed itself during the many experiments with vinifera in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the Midwest and South. It has been famous in Missouri since the the eighteen-forties.


- n144mann - 08-21-1999

thanks for the information Foodie and Curmy....I am going to spend the winter researching everything I can find information on, get the land prepared next spring, and vines set in as soon after that as possible. But with the difficulty in getting good vines, it may actually be the following year before I get them set. In the meantime, I will probably have more questions for you. Thanks for the information
Nancy


- Randy Caparoso - 08-22-1999

How we got from Cab Franc to Chancellor and Chambourcin, I'm not sure. But good luck, Nancy!

Foodie's comments on the possibilities of Cab Franc in cool climate regions is interesting. I also like his green olive/olive oil description. I don't think it's an especially flattering quality except as a subtle nuance, but that's a good a description of the grape's vegetal/herbaceous tendencies as you'll get.

But foodie, I think you might have misconstrued slightly when I related herbaceousness to cool or cold climate wine growing. It's true that varietals will tend to have that in cold climates (remember the Monterey Cabernet Sauvignons from the late '70s and early '80s?). But I think it's been shown that if it's at least possible to ripen any grape in a given region, excessive herbaceousness is more likely to be the result of factors such as trellising, canopy and water management. In other words, just good, sensible viticulture and winemaking. The fact that Cabernet Franc performs both wonderfully (lush, concentrated fruit) or extremely poorly (unpleasantly vegetal, unfruity qualities) in regions as climatically varied as the Loire, Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Paso Robles, and (from what I understand) the Finger Lakes is proof of that. Cold or warm climate are negatives only if allowed to be.

For Cabernet Franc, the other major factor is undoubtedly soil. It's the only explanation for the great quality of, say, Bordeaux's Cheval Blanc; and for what we've been seeing recently in California sites like Viader and Justin. Cabernet Franc is ideally situated in very well drained soils.

I've also had second thoughts on my comments on Viader. Although I've been citing it as a great example of Cabernet Franc, obviously that wine has never meant to be a Cab Franc per se. It's meant to express "Viader." But it's a great example of the grape being grown to such a concentration that it can be balanced out, but not overwhelmed, by nearly equal amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon. Just as in Paso Robles, where Justin's Cabernet Franc cuvees are almost across the board denser, more complex and aromatic than, say, their Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In both cases, the moderately weighted, soft tannin structures and sweet blackcurrant/raspberry liqueur-like flavors of Cabernet Franc are dominant in the blends.

One final winery which I left out who has been making beautiful Cabernet Franc-based blends is Babcock, whose Santa Barbara grown "Fathom" is a fine, velvety, yet generous assemblage (with Cabenet Sauvignon and Merlot). There are definite indications that the dry, fairly cool conditions and sandy, gravelly soils of Santa Ynez Valley are more conducive to high quality Cabernet Franc than Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. One pass through the wineries in the region would convince you of that.

Okay, I'm done!


- n144mann - 08-22-1999

Randy, the way we got to chancellor, is that I asked foodie about the wines he has tasted made from that grape as compared to Cab Franc......Cab Franc is my choice of red to grow, but its hardiness is in question, I am going to have to lay down and bury the vines in order to get them through our winters. This entails hours of hard work, but I am willing to give it a try, since it is more likely to produce a wine that I am happy with. I find your analysis of the viticulture practices (trellising etc)as opposed to climate conditions interesting, and encouraging. We will have to discuss that more privately. Or better yet, you can come out and show me how it is done. <grin> You make housecalls right???

Thanks
Nancy



[This message has been edited by n144mann (edited 08-22-99).]


- Kcwhippet - 08-23-1999

Nancy,

There is a web site put up by someone who's growing Cab Franc in his backyard in Ottawa, Canada. He has developed some very unique techniques for growing (and keeping alive) the vines in weather that gets down to -30C in the winter. You may get some useful data from the site. It's www.cyberus.ca/~chorniak.
Check it out.

Bob


- n144mann - 08-23-1999

Wow, Bob, thanks for that info!!! -30 is what I have to deal with too, zone 4a by the USDA ratings. I will certainly check it out!

Nancy

PS-did you ever try that ice cream recipe?


- Thomas - 08-23-1999

Randy, touche. True enough that good growing plays a major role in any quality wine production. But it often does not supersede climate by much.

As for good drainage, re, Cabernet Franc; another benefit of the Finger Lakes. If there is one thing the region has, it is drainage. Of course, this year we haven't had any water from the sky to drain.

And since most vineyards are on slopes, we also have good air drainage, if canopy management is done well.

As for the olive oil quality; I find it interesting and rather like it when it is not the shining star of the wine; remember, I also mentioned nutty, which is a qaulity i find often in NY Cabernet Franc, not to mention those few producers whose Cabernet Franc offer great jammy fruit.

I am convinced this is the red wine that the Finger Lakes should expect to perfect over time. It certainly offers a better shot than the other great Bordeaux varieties that are problematic at least eight times out of every ten years. And what Cabernet Franc does for blending with those two others is an outstanding example of why the French learned to blend a long time ago.