Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc's roots trace back to Spain's Basque Country, in the Pyrenees, where genetic research has linked it to old local cultivars. Roman-era writers recorded a grape in Bordeaux thought to be an early ancestor, making it possibly the oldest red variety in the region.

Its arrival in the Loire has a specific, well-worn story attached: in the 17th century, Cardinal Richelieu sent cuttings to the Abbey of Bourgueil, where an abbot named Breton tended them, and the grape picked up "Breton" as a Loire nickname that's still used today.

Genetically, Cabernet Franc is one of the most important parents in Bordeaux. Crossed naturally with Sauvignon Blanc, it produced Cabernet Sauvignon. Crossed separately with an obscure, nearly forgotten cultivar called Magdeleine Noire des Charentes, it also produced Merlot, meaning Bordeaux's two most planted red grapes both have Cabernet Franc as a parent.

• Loire Valley, France - Bottled on its own rather than blended, and the place to taste the grape's raspberry-and-violet character with nothing else in the way.

• Bordeaux Right Bank, Franc - A key blending partner alongside Merlot, adding aromatic lift and structure; at a handful of estates it's the majority grape rather than the supporting one.

• Napa Valley, United States - Traditionally a blending grape, though a small number of producers now bottle it varietally.

Cabernet Franc buds and ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes it noticeably better suited to cooler sites and shorter growing seasons, one reason it does so well in the Loire while Cabernet Sauvignon mostly doesn't. Its berries and skins are thinner than Cabernet Sauvignon's, which is the direct cause of its softer tannin and lighter colour. It's also a more cold-hardy vine overall, tolerant of a wider range of climates than either of its more famous offspring.

In the Loire, Cabernet Franc is usually made as a single-varietal wine, sometimes with a light chill served on release to emphasise its fresh red fruit. In Bordeaux, it's almost always blended, typically with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, contributing perfume and structure rather than headline fruit. New World producers who bottle it alone, still a minority, tend to treat it similarly to Cabernet Sauvignon: some oak, moderate extraction, aiming for structure without losing the grape's natural lift.

Cabernet Franc shares its most famous aroma with its own offspring Cabernet Sauvignon: both carry green bell pepper from the same family of methoxypyrazine compounds, a genetic fingerprint you can genuinely taste across generations.

On the palate, expect medium body and medium tannin, softer and less gripping than Cabernet Sauvignon thanks to that thinner skin. Acidity runs high, especially in Loire examples picked to preserve freshness. Sweetness is dry across the board, ice wine being a rare, minor exception. Well-made Cabernet Franc can taste almost weightless next to a big Cabernet Sauvignon, which is exactly the point.

• Château Cheval Blanc (Saint-Émilion, France)
  One of Bordeaux's five First Growths, and the estate that proves Cabernet Franc can lead a great wine rather than just support one. Its own vineyard is planted to roughly 55% Cabernet Franc, more than any of its more Cabernet-Sauvignon or Merlot-led peers.

• Clos Rougeard (Saumur-Champigny, France)
  The Loire's most cult-status Cabernet Franc producer, founded in 1664 and run for decades by brothers Nady and Charly Foucault. Its wines are 100% Cabernet Franc, built to age for decades on tuffeau limestone soil most producers treat as fit only for early drinking.

• Lang & Reed (Napa Valley, United States)
  Founded in 1993 by Tracey and John Skupny specifically to explore Cabernet Franc on its own, at a time when Napa treated it purely as a blending grape. One of the first serious single-varietal Cabernet Franc producers in California.

Medium body and bright acidity make Cabernet Franc more food-flexible than heavier reds, and it doesn't need a steak to work.

• Roast chicken or turkey - Enough acidity and light tannin to handle poultry without overwhelming it.

• Grilled vegetables - The grape's own green, herbal streak echoes charred peppers and eggplant rather than clashing with them.

• Charcuterie - Bright acid cuts through cured, fatty meats the way it would with a good salumi board.

• Mushroom dishes - Earthy, umami flavours pair naturally with the graphite and forest-floor notes some Cabernet Franc develops with age.