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Cabernet Franc is a red-wine grape originating in Bordeaux, but now very widely grown (worldwide, it is one of the twenty most-planted wine grapes). It is generally considered one of the dozen and a half or so of world-class red-wine grapes (those in boldface in the varietals list to the left of the page).
Cabernet Franc is one of the traditional grapes used in the red-wine blends that characterize Bordeaux (blends known to the British as "claret"). Americans are used to wines that are bottled and marketed by varietal name (which now requires that the wine must be at least 75% of the named type); but in most of Europe, the tradition has been to produce named blends, with laws specifying—usually quite tightly—what percentages of what grapes may be used. The principal Bordeaux grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, though there are others. Cabernet Franc wines are considered softer and less assertive than Cabernet Sauvignon, and act to moderate Bordeaux blends.
As a monovarietal, however, Cabernet Franc dominates along the Loire river, in the Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur-Champigny regions; but it is now also common from American wineries, from California to Virginia.
Terms most frequently heard in connection with Cabernet Franc wines are "spicy" and "vegetal". The oft-remarked vegetative quality profoundly attracts some and profoundly repels others. Some vintners, especially in the New World, work at avoiding that quality in their wines, but not a few wine drinkers seek out French renditions to obtain it. Chacun à son goût.
Factoid: Cabernet Franc is one of the parent grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon (the other being Sauvignon Blanc).
"Cabernet Franc shares many of the same phenolic and aroma compounds as Cabernet Sauvignon but with some noticeable differences. Cabernet Franc tends to be more lightly pigmented and produces wines with the same level of intensity and richness. Cabernet Franc tends to have a more pronounced perfume with notes of raspberries, black currants, violets and graphite. It is often characterized by a green, vegetal strike that can range from leaves to green bell peppers. It has slightly less tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon and tends to produce a wine with a smoother mouthfeel. New World examples of Cabernet Franc tend to emphasize the fruit more."
"I like the grape mainly for its olfactive charm, which is considerable. Along with the usual cherry-and-berry aromas, cabernet franc normally sends up a seductive whiff of herbs, spices, and violets. I get particularly weak-kneed about its sweet tobacco scent (perhaps because my childhood was spent in a cloud of cigar smoke). But the gratification isn't confined to the nose; in cooler climates, at least, cabernet franc yields pleasingly crisp, somewhat rustic wines that stand in welcome contrast to your garden-variety fruit bombs. "
"Depending a great deal on vineyard practices, the flavor profile of Cabernet Franc may be both fruitier and sometimes more herbal or vegetative than Cabernet Sauvignon, although lighter in both color and softer in tannins. Over-cropping and underexposure each tend to accentuate the vegetative flavor elements. More aromatic than most Cabernet Sauvignon, typically somewhat spicy and often reminiscent of plums and especially violets, Cabernet Franc is more often used as a secondary or tertiary element in varietally-blended red wines, such as Bordeaux or Meritage, instead of as a stand-alone varietal bottling."
"An early ripening varietal, Cabernet Franc is known for making medium-bodied, tannic wines that have flavors of red fruits, purple flowers, green herbs and a distinct aroma of pencil shavings. "
"As a varietal wine, it usually has a lighter body with less tannin and acid than Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result, it is often blended with this variety and occasionally with Merlot. Wines can have a pronounced vegetative aroma that is commonly associated with highly vigorous growing sites."
"Happily, a new generation of California wine producers, and some old-timers, get what cab franc is all about and realize that what makes it beautiful is how it differs from cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The exceptional wines from the Loire Valley have no doubt influenced some of our brethren to try their hands at it, and I'm not only impressed but also excited."
"Cabernet Franc wines are thinner, lighter and less acidic than Cabernet Sauvignons. They also may have a more herbal flavor, depending upon their cultivation. While Cabernet Sauvignon wines are lauded for their ability to age well, Cabernet Francs are best enjoyed young."
"Cab Franc is blended into clarets and Bordeaux blends for precisely the same reasons: because it provides a stiff, dry backbone that keeps these famous wines upright and prevents them from getting too fruity (from the Merlot and Malbec) or too tannic (from the Cabernet Sauvignon) or too dry (from the Petit Verdot). In this case, Cab Franc is like the traffic cop or the disciplinarian – keeping order and everything else in line to ensure that the wine remains in its drinkable sweet spot. It’s what makes the wine wine."
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Some Descriptions of Cabernet Franc Wines
"Cabernet Franc shares many of the same phenolic and aroma compounds as Cabernet Sauvignon but with some noticeable differences. Cabernet Franc tends to be more lightly pigmented and produces wines with the same level of intensity and richness. Cabernet Franc tends to have a more pronounced perfume with notes of raspberries, black currants, violets and graphite. It is often characterized by a green, vegetal strike that can range from leaves to green bell peppers. It has slightly less tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon and tends to produce a wine with a smoother mouthfeel. New World examples of Cabernet Franc tend to emphasize the fruit more."
"I like the grape mainly for its olfactive charm, which is considerable. Along with the usual cherry-and-berry aromas, cabernet franc normally sends up a seductive whiff of herbs, spices, and violets. I get particularly weak-kneed about its sweet tobacco scent (perhaps because my childhood was spent in a cloud of cigar smoke). But the gratification isn't confined to the nose; in cooler climates, at least, cabernet franc yields pleasingly crisp, somewhat rustic wines that stand in welcome contrast to your garden-variety fruit bombs. "
"Depending a great deal on vineyard practices, the flavor profile of Cabernet Franc may be both fruitier and sometimes more herbal or vegetative than Cabernet Sauvignon, although lighter in both color and softer in tannins. Over-cropping and underexposure each tend to accentuate the vegetative flavor elements. More aromatic than most Cabernet Sauvignon, typically somewhat spicy and often reminiscent of plums and especially violets, Cabernet Franc is more often used as a secondary or tertiary element in varietally-blended red wines, such as Bordeaux or Meritage, instead of as a stand-alone varietal bottling."
"An early ripening varietal, Cabernet Franc is known for making medium-bodied, tannic wines that have flavors of red fruits, purple flowers, green herbs and a distinct aroma of pencil shavings. "
"As a varietal wine, it usually has a lighter body with less tannin and acid than Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result, it is often blended with this variety and occasionally with Merlot. Wines can have a pronounced vegetative aroma that is commonly associated with highly vigorous growing sites."
"Happily, a new generation of California wine producers, and some old-timers, get what cab franc is all about and realize that what makes it beautiful is how it differs from cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The exceptional wines from the Loire Valley have no doubt influenced some of our brethren to try their hands at it, and I'm not only impressed but also excited."
"Cabernet Franc wines are thinner, lighter and less acidic than Cabernet Sauvignons. They also may have a more herbal flavor, depending upon their cultivation. While Cabernet Sauvignon wines are lauded for their ability to age well, Cabernet Francs are best enjoyed young."
"Cab Franc is blended into clarets and Bordeaux blends for precisely the same reasons: because it provides a stiff, dry backbone that keeps these famous wines upright and prevents them from getting too fruity (from the Merlot and Malbec) or too tannic (from the Cabernet Sauvignon) or too dry (from the Petit Verdot). In this case, Cab Franc is like the traffic cop or the disciplinarian – keeping order and everything else in line to ensure that the wine remains in its drinkable sweet spot. It’s what makes the wine wine."