Exciting Cabernet Franc

I was visiting my local fine wine shop here in South Bend, Indiana, and ran across an interesting wine. And since I grow Cabernet Franc (among other vinifera varieties) professionally, I thought I would share my thoughts on this beauty.

2003 Domaine Patrick Baudouin Anjou Villages Val de Loire Cabernet Franc, 13% Alc. Imported by Grail Wine Selections, LLC, Napa, CA

Deep dark ruby color and a warm vintage promise a rich wine. The nose is intensely aromatic, almost to the point that it is difficult to determine what fruits one is smelling! I perceived intense aromatic sandlewood with a touch of allspice, and underneath, rich stewed red plums. The palate is bright, crisp and tannic with concentrated red plum, sweet red currant and red raspberry fruit, with a nice dollup of minerals. Finish is long, appetizing, and satisfying, with a lovely lingering earthy finish. This is a great "food wine"! I loved this. I only lack my rack of lamb!

James G. Lester
Wyncroft, LLC

[Jenise]

James, I've only had one Anjou cab franc, but it in a tasting of Loire cab francs and it was the most different of the bunch. Don't know if that was the producer or the terroir, but it had a strong sweet raspberry streak in it (in comparison to the others) that was quite fetching.

[James Roscoe]

I'm hoping that there will be some Anjou Cab Franc at the Loire Vally event in April at the French Embassy. Your note makes me look forward to the event even more.

Nice find, Jim. There's a lot of sentiment that '03 was a lot kinder to Loire reds than its whites. I've opened a few '03 Anjou Cab Francs that were crowd pleasers, too.

Mark Lipton

James,

My impression is that the new generation of winemakers in that part of France are playing catch up with other more famous wine regions. Quality has risen overall in recent years. I suspect you will see some Loire Cab Franc there.

The 2003 vintage was warm and many of the wines are very rich and fruity, but there is that underlying minerality that makes them so interesting and good at the table. We also had a 1995 Saumur-Champigny a few years ago that was simply awesome. It was very deep ruby and had masses of tannin and rich earthy raspberry fruit. And it only cost $ 14.95!! Also recently had a Bourgueil by Breton from 2003 that was lovely. And there is a producer named Charles Joguet there in Chinon that makes several single vineyard bottlings like Burgundy. These wines are very worth exploring.

Jim Lester

James, I've only had one Anjou cab franc, but it in a tasting of Loire cab francs and it was the most different of the bunch. Don't know if that was the producer or the terroir, but it had a strong sweet raspberry streak in it (in comparison to the others) that was quite fetching.

Hey Jenise, Maybe it was different because it was not Cabernet Franc at all. I'm suggesting this because a grower in NZ - Robin Ransom of Ransom Wines, thought he was growing Cabernet Franc in his vineyard but it did not perform to his expectations. With a bit of sleuthing and DNA testing (in Australia), it was eventually identified as Carmenere - the lost grape of Bordeaux.
The particular clone came into NZ in 1998, the source being the University of Bologna in Northern Italy. It was identified as Clone F4.

Carmenere has an interesting period of being misnamed. It was originally thought as as Merlot in Chile, and as Cabernet Franc in North East Italy, where there has been some confusion between Cabernet Franc and Carmenere.
Now the University of Turin says that clone F4 is Cabernet Franc while clone F5 is Carmenere. There are many genetic similarities between these two clones and it could have been misnamed in Bologna.

I wonder how many other places there are besides N.E. Italy and NZ where Carmenere has been masquerading as Cabernet Franc. Maybe there is a little bit of mystery surrounding the vines in the Loire, too.

Cheers,
Sue

Mark,

True enough. I have not had any Chenins from 03, but the the few Sancerres I've had were flat and dismal. One of the wines we served for our daughters wedding last September was a 2003 Pouilly-Fume "Pechignolles" from Pascal Gitton. The Pechignolles vineyard has chalky limestone soil not unlike that of Champagne. In any case, it was a hit with many of the guests who didn't know what PF is supposed to taste like! There was very low acidity and a honeyed baked apple character to the fruit. I did a pH on it and it was at 3.50--shockingly high for any white wine from France!

But back to thread, Cabernet Franc is a late-ripening variety, so the warmth would do it good! I wonder what the 03 red Sancerre's are like. Boy I do have a bad case of thread drift!

Jim Lester

I can add that the Chilean authorities fought tooth and nail against allowing Carmenere for the longest time, even though it had already been established that Carmenere existed.

The major players didn't want to admit that much of the hoopla about Merlot (then, of course, the hottest variety going and therefore the entree to a lot of shelfs and winelists) was based on Carmenere.

Alvaro Espinoza, the brilliant Chilean winemaker, campaigned tirelessly for Carmenere when he found out it was a large portion of the Vina Carmen Reserve Merlot back in the early 90s, but the Chilean government stonewalled him, so when he made a Carmenere-Cabernet blend, he wasn't allowed to use the designation of Carmenere. The compromise was that they would allow another synonym for the variety in Bordeaux, Grande Vidure. (Why one synonym for the grape was okay and the other wasn't is beyond my meager understanding, but then I'm not a government bureacracy.)

Anyway, because of that the first Carmenere to come into the US (identified properly) was under the name of Grande Vidure. Took two more vintages before the word Carmenere was allowed.

The wine was gorgeous, by the way. And sold out quickly at about $7 a bottle.

I've been following the Northern Italy saga you mentioned. Seems there was rampant confusion with Carmenere, with most thinking it was Cabernet Franc, and some arguing it was Merlot, a la Chile.

There was also a widely held belief that all the Pinot Grigio in Northern Italy isn't in fact PG. Some Italians that must remain un-named but are in positions where they know whereof they speak insist that there's a considerable amount of Pinot Blanc and other grapes that somehow become Pinot Grigio once they get into the bottle.

I wonder what the 03 red Sancerre's are like.

I've had a few -- from Andre Neveu and Domaine de Chatenoy (Menetou-Salon, but comparable) -- and found them, predictably, to be fruitier and richer than the norm, but not over-the-top and very enjoyable in their own right. Overall, I prefer red Sancerres from normal years (I have a weird predilection for lean, acidified, minerally, underfruited red wines), but I'm glad I bought these. How's that for thread drift?

Getting back to the original topic, I've been to Loire tastings and found that CF's from Saumur-Champigny and elsewhere in Anjou generally seem riper and fruitier than CF's from Touraine (Chinon, Bourgueil). Add 2003 to the mix and it should be all the more true. But, like you, I've found that the 2003 Loire CFs I've still taste like they come from there -- a remarkable achievement.

Put me in the camp of 2003 Loire red fans. Maybe the only region I don't think of 2003 on label as a warning sign (though certainly there are tasty Bordeaux and even a few Burgs from '03)

I enjoyed a mid-priced bottle of Saumur-Champigny from 2003. Definitely some rich, lush fruit, but also very nice herbal and "green pepper" notes.

Grab some of the 2005 Loire Cab Francs! Great vintage. Try some Domaine Filliatreau Chateau Fouquet (Saumur) under $15

The consistently best varietal Cabernet Franc's I have ever had are grown in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada.

Why the variety should do so well there, I know not.

Grab some of the 2005 Loire Cab Francs! Great vintage. Try some Domaine Filliatreau Chateau Fouquet (Saumur) under $15

Haven't had the Ch. Fouquet, but the '05 Filliatreau "La Grande Vignolle" is a spectacular value at same price point.

The consistently best varietal Cabernet Franc's I have ever had are grown in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada.

Why the variety should do so well there, I know not.

Interesting! That's where I get must (crushed gapes) from for my home made. I have to buy it that way or else I can't bring it across the border. I have some '04 and '05 versions aging in my cellar. Due to the terrible September and October weather I decided to not make an '06 version.

Peter and Howie,

I have had some lovely Cab Francs from Niagara as well. I want to try some of your homemade Howie!

I think Peter, that the cooling effect of the Great Lakes helps the flavors develop slowly and evenly, while the very warm summers help develop full ripeness and thick skins. In the Loire, it is considerably cooler than Niagara during the summer and that is why they can have less fruit and higher acidity. Also the bell pepper character can be pronounced in a cooler climate. Many people find this taste objectionable. Overcropping the vines also is a disaster with Cabernet Franc. Some of the early Niagara efforts were very green until they figured this out. I am growing Cab Franc at the southern tip of Lake Michigan in SW Michigan. It makes a lovely lush wine here with no "veggies" when cropped at about 2 tons per acre. (approx. 25 hectoliters per hectare) I think it likes a cooler climate than most of California. Is anyone growing it in Sussex? I had a lovely Sauvignon Blanc from there some years ago, and it ripens close behind that variety.

Jim Lester

...I want to try some of your homemade Howie! ...Jim Lester

I'll have some at NiagaraCOOL in June and MOCOOL in August.

Oddly enough, cab franc grows well in the Yadkin Valley in North Carolina. There's a relatively new winery in Lexington built by Childress (he of NASCAR fame) that is turning out very respectable cab franc for $16.

The spiritual home, though, is Chinon/Bourgueil. All right, Pomerol, too...

Is anyone growing it in Sussex?

I don't think so, but with around 400 mostly tiny (about an acre) vineyards across England and Wales run by nutters (well you have to be to make wine in England with the combined forces of the weather, heavy handed interpretation of EU rules, unsympathetic tax regime, cost of land & etc against you) they may well be some. Usual reds here are German crosses developed to get a good colour (Dornfelder etc) but with the interest in sparkling wines, Pinot Noir and Meunier are becoming favourites.

[James Roscoe]

Grab some of the 2005 Loire Cab Francs! Great vintage. Try some Domaine Filliatreau Chateau Fouquet (Saumur) under $15

I will look for these producers. Thanks for the reccomendation!