Cabernet Franc is an ancient grape variety that deserves way more attention than it gets.
Did you know that two major grapes are directly related to it? Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot can call Cab Franc dad. It's also the father of Carmenere. So if there were no Cabernet Franc, there wouldn't be Bordeaux. That's why it's one of the oldest and crucial varieties for this region.
While Cabernet Franc probably originated in Bordeaux and widely cultivated there, the best French expressions of this grape comes from Chinon, a small appellation in the Loire Valley. You can find some great examples of Cabernet Franc on every continent.
That's why we decided to have a Cabernet Franc tasting with our wine club. We picked one bottle from France and a couple of bottles from Southern America.
Tasting Cabernet Franc Video Story
2016 Domaine Leduc-Frouin Anjou La Seigneurie Rouge
Of course, we had to have French Cabernet Franc in this challenge. We started with the 2016 Domaine Leduc-Frouin Anjou La Seigneurie Rouge. On occasion, French labels can be overloaded with many long yet short sounding words. "On occasion" is probably an understatement. It's more like nine out of ten times. But it's not as complicated as it seems.
Let's decipher the label together. Domaine Leduc-Frouin is the name of the producer. Anjou is another renowned Loire Valley appellation, and La Seigneurie means an estate. Finally, rouge means red in French.
So in the New World terms, it means that it's red estate wine from the Anjou region.
The family Leduc-Frouin is growing vines and making wine in this region since 1873. This wine was produced by combining the 4th generation tradition and modern winemaking techniques.
Following the tradition, 100% Cabernet Franc grapes were hand-harvested and fermented for three weeks. As a sign of modern times, the maturation took place in concrete vats to retain the fruitiness and character of Cabernet Franc. Finally, it was bottled in April of 2018.
As expected, the first aromas we sense were leafy red currant. Then it opened into a jammy lingonberry, sweet tobacco, pencil shavings, and moss. On the palate, it's dry with flavors of red currant, cranberry, red plum, and a touch of cured meats. It's a medium-bodied wine with balanced tannin, and extended finish accentuated by dried apricot.
La Seigneurie Rouge while a very fragrant and is not "in your face" kind of wine. Instead, it's like an expensive perfume: it's sensual, tender, and sophisticated. You like it not because it's intense but because it's quiet.
2018 Fabre Montmayou Reserva Cabernet Franc
2018 Fabre Montmayou Reserva Cabernet Franc was the second wine in our tasting. Although it comes from Argentina, it has a French connection. Fabre Montmayou Winery was established in the 1990s by Hervé Joyaux Fabre. He came from a family of wine merchants and moved to Argentina from France to start his own winery. Fabre was among the first to recognize the potential of Malbec and releasing single varietal Malbec wine in Argentina.
2018 Fabre Montmayou Reserva Cabernet Franc is a smaller production wine because winery focused more on reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot.
Fabre Montmayou is a 100% Cabernet Franc and hand-harvested just like Anjou. Probably that's where similarities end. The fruit is naturally riper because it comes from the warmer region than Loire Valley. Vineyard located at the foothills of the Andes mountain in Luján de Cuyo area of Mendoza.
The fermentation process is more in line with modern winemaking techniques. Harvested grapes undergo cold maceration for 5 days before 20 days fermentation. Both cold maceration and extended fermentation help to extract more flavors and incorporate them better into wine. The wine is aged in 60% French oak barrels for 12 months. So what do we get as a result?
Was it similar to the French Cab Franc?
Yes, we could tell that these wines are from the same grape varietal. We also could tell that Argentian Cabernet Franc was from the warmer region because it gravitated toward ripe black fruit versus red fruit of Anjou.
On the nose, Fabre Montmayou had black currant, red flower blossom, green tobacco, and leafy notes and a little cedar - a sign of barrel ageing.
On the palate, it was jammy with blueberry and dark chocolate flavors
Overall, 2018 Fabre Montmayou Reserva Cabernet Franc felt like fuller-bodied, more tannic, and more substantial wine than 2016 Domaine Leduc-Frouin Anjou La Seigneurie Rouge.
Interestingly, what Argentinian Cab Franc packed in power, it lacked in finesse. While it felt like bigger wine, it wasn't as balanced or complex as French. It was hot, but it wasn't sexy.
Granted, it's two years younger, and we thought it certainly needed time to mature. We look forward to revisiting this promising wine and comparing it with French Cab Franc again.
2015 Perez Cruz Limited Edition Cabernet Franc
We left 2015 Perez Cruz Limited Edition Cabernet Franc for last because we thought it might be a bigger wine, and it was the right call.
Viña Pérez Cruz is a family-owned winery located at the foothills of Maipo Valley of Chile. They specialize in red Bordeaux varietals and particularly in Cabernet Sauvignon, and produce over a million bottles per year.
The grapes for 2015 Cabernet Franc came from Liguai vineyard nestled directly against the mountain foothills between 1,450 and 1,700 feet elevation.
The deep, stony, and poor in nutrient soils and the Mediterranean-like climate with long dry summers and dramatic swings between daytime and nighttime temperatures are the ideal conditions for producing high-quality wines with ripe fruit and natural acidity.
Following the harvest in the second week of April, grapes were cold-soaked macerated and fermented with indigenous yeasts for 27 days in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation was done in barrique. Just as Argentian Cabernet Franc, Perez Cruz was aged in oak. The élevage in second and third use 100% French oak barrels lasted for 14 months.
It was the most aromatic of three wines with herbal, cassis, sweet tea, and peppery notes.
The warmer climate reflected on the palate with black currant and plum, prune, and balsamic flavors. It had well-incorporated tannins, and, as expected, it was a fuller-bodied wine than French and Argentinian.
And the Winner Is...
All three wines are different, and all were fun to taste. While we could tell that there's a common thread between all of them because they all are Cab Francs, each has its own character and enjoyable on its own.
Coming in the second place, the 2016 Domaine Leduc-Frouin Anjou La Seigneurie Rouge is the most delicate and finessed of three. It takes time to get to know it and enjoy the nuances of colder climate Cabernet Franc.
2018 Fabre Montmayou Reserva Cabernet Franc was the most masculine of three. While it finished third, we thought that it has great potential and needs a few years in the bottle to show all of its beauty.
An all-around favorite was 2015 Perez Cruz Limited Edition Cabernet Franc. Its juicy-fruity-candy-like perfumed nose and well-rounded palate seduced everyone.
Depending on the occasion and pairing, we would drink any of these again. We would drink Anjou with Duck and cherry sauce, Fabre Montmayou with Argentian steak, and Perez Cruz with braised beef.
What's your favorite Cabernet Franc? Do you prefer Old World or New World Cab Franc?
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