AT THE BAR cabernet franc CABERNET FRANC The Loire darling and Bordeaux stepchild plants new roots. /// BY DEBORAH GROSSMAN 48 The NaTioNal CuliNary review • May 2015 abernet franc has its friends and its enemies. Before he became a vintner, Robert Sinskey CABERNET FRANC: BEYOND didn’t know he was drinking cabernet franc when he sipped French wine labeled Bordeaux, FRANCE AND CALIFORNIA Chinon or Bourgueil. His first encounters with American-made cabernet franc were not Thomas Pastuszak, wine director at pleasant. “They tasted like high-alcohol canned green beans—a weird mix of ripe and The NoMad Hotel, New York, looks beyond France for cabernet franc and Cunripe characteristics,” says the owner of Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Napa, California. zeroes in on his home state. “The Later, Sinskey was offered cabernet franc grapes from Carneros at the cooler southern end of Finger Lakes appellation is planting the flag for cabernet franc as its main Napa, and reluctantly vinified them. He was pleasantly surprised by the quality. Most American red varietal. The climate and terroir of cabernet franc, he realized, was grown in warmer regions where the grapes “sugared up” before many vineyard sites in the Finger Lakes they developed flavor, causing the wine to lose natural acidity and become too alcoholic. are comparable to the Loire Valley, and the grape grows beautifully here,” As vintners such as Sinskey brought cabernet franc into balance, they continued to use the wine as a he says. “More producers are bottling blender. Now wineries more frequently sell it as a single varietal. From France to California, Washington these terroir-driven cabernet francs to and beyond, consumers are meeting up with cabernet franc in restaurants and tasting rooms. showcase special vineyards, among them, Hermann J. Wiemer, Red Newt The tasting notes from California cabernet francs can read like a tasting menu. Consider the Cellars and Damiani Wine Cellars.” description on Wente Vineyards 2012 Small Lot Cabernet Franc: Aromas of chocolate, mint and Cabernet franc grows best in Finger coffee; flavors of plum, chocolate and black olive. It’s tempting enough to pair with the grilled grass- Lakes vineyards with shallow topsoil fed beef burger with housemade hot sauce, blue cheese and bourbon pickles at The Restaurant at and slate and shale subsoils, says Tyler Tauck, distribution manager at Sheldrake Wente Vineyards, Livermore, California. Point Winery on Cayuga Lake. “The The varietal thrives elsewhere in Livermore Valley. At Bent Creek Winery, co-owner Tom results are medium-bodied cabernet Heineman sees cabernet franc sell out quicker than other wines in the tasting room. Cabernet franc wines that are bursting with flavor and aroma. Cabernet franc is the most CABERNET franc is also the top tasting-room seller at Auburn James in Danville. “People who find cabernet popular red wine, and the sole grape sauvignon too big gravitate to cabernet franc with its more moderate body, says co-owner Matt used for our top-selling Sheldrake Point Ospeck. “People like the adventure of finding a new varietal that pairs with pasta or pizza. Priced Estate Dry Rosé.” below our cabernet sauvignon, it’s a more economical choice.” Washington is another bastion of cabernet franc. Columbia Winery was the first to produce cabernet franc in Cabernet franc’s French roots the state. The varietal grows well in The grape most likely originated in Southwest France in the Libournais region of Bordeaux Washington state, says Sean Hails, and is a parent of cabernet sauvignon. Cabernet franc’s reputation as the third most important Columbia Winery senior manager, operations/winemaking, who has a blending wine in Bordeaux belies its composition of only 10% of Bordeaux vineyards. soft spot for cabernet franc as he used “Cabernet franc is rarely the dominant variety in Bordeaux wines, but adds a perfumed elegance to grow it in his native Canada. “Our cabernet franc vineyard in the Horse and freshness to blends,” says Mary Gorman, master of wine and market adviser to the Bordeaux FRANC Heaven Hills has the cooling influence Wine Council. “Yet the grape does play a leading role in Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone.” of the Columbia River to the south and well-drained, sandy-loam soils A few Bordeaux producers are experimenting with single varietal offerings. Mark Hellyer, plus winds that moderate potential owner of Chateau Civrac in the Côtes de Bourg on the Right Bank, recently released a single temperature extremes,” he says. varietal cabernet franc not yet available in the U.S. Hellyer believes this is the first cabernet franc “Cabernet franc acquired a stepchild bottling in his appellation. Like many vintners in the U.S., Italy and beyond, he mistook cabernet status in Bordeaux, because it wasn’t always planted in the prime locations.” franc for merlot vines, but now finds a growing market for the wine. The Loire Valley may be best-known for chenin blanc and sancerre, but cabernet franc was planted in the central or “middle” area along the Loire River by the 14th century. Renaissance epicurean author François Rabelais extolled the cabernet franc wines from Chinon near his hometown. The Loire River moderates the climate for cabernet franc with enough sun and not-too-cold winters. As an earlier ripening grape with thinner skin than cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc PHOTO CREDIT Deborah Grossman grapes thrived in the area’s soils of schist and flinty Senonian clay. Anjou Rouge, Chinon, Saumur Rouge, Saumur Champigny and Bourgueil are the best-known Loire cabernet franc wines. Dan Davis, wine director at Commander’s Palace and Café Adelaide, New Orleans, notes that Loire cabernet franc shows the same lovely fruits as its New World cousins. But here, he adds, “The fruit is framed with delicate floral notes, tobacco and an earthy sense of place—they are more soulful. When I explain the French term “terroir” to someone who is just beginning to Opposite, clockwise from top: 1) Domaine learn about wine, I open a Loire Valley cabernet franc as an example.” de la Bergerie Anjou region cabernet franc grapes. 2) Star Lane Vineyard’s Patrick Baudouin, owner of Domaine Patrick Baudouin in the Anjou region, sees production of cabernet franc vineyard after harvest. cabernet franc increasing. He produces a complex Anjou Rouge La Fresnaye. Vintner Alexandre 3) Domaine Cady vineyard and winery. ACFCHEFS.ORG 49 AT THE BAR cabernet franc CABERNET FRANC ON Cady of Domaine Cady keeps a watchful eye on the vineyard to tame the tannins. “We wait for THE WINE LIST sustained sunny weather and then pick for our Anjou Rouge.” At The NoMad Hotel, New York, some Cabernet franc also exhibits exceptional quality and value when served in Crémant de Loire guests imagine cabernet franc will be dark, dense and brooding like Napa Rosé. This underappreciated cabernet franc-based category is made in the méthode champenois, with Valley cabernet sauvignon, observes wine the second fermentation in the bottle. In the Saumur region, the Bouvet Ladubay Brut Rosé is fruity director Thomas Pastuszak. After tasting and crisp from the cabernet franc grown in the sedimentary marine layers in the estate’s vineyard. the wine with its red raspberry and cherry notes, he says, “Diners realize some of the Farther east in the Touraine area, Château Moncontour overlooks the Loire River. The company’s greatest expressions of cabernet franc are president, Gilles Feray, recommends drinking Moncontour Crémant de Loire Rosé as an apéritif with lifted, aromatic and backed by sufficient Asian flavors, fish or tapas. The soft finish also pairs well with fruit tarts, blue cheese or local Sainte acidity and tannins, much like some of their favorite pinot noirs.” Maure goat cheese. Because of the natural acidity and tannic structure, Pastuszak pairs Napa cabernet franc medium-bodied, spicy cabernet franc Winemakers in California rarely have to worry about enough sun for cabernet franc. Their from the Loire with game and pork. concern is too much heat. “Catherine and Pierre Breton’s Trinch! Bourgueil 2013 matches chef Daniel Sommelier Kelli White knows all about the terroir of Napa Valley. At Press in St. Helena, the Humm’s confit of suckling pig with all-Napa wine list is jampacked with well-ripened, rich-red wines. “Here, cabernet sauvignon red endive, dandelion and dates,” he says. “The wine’s acidity cuts like a rules—but cabernet franc is an easy sell,” says White. “It’s lighter in body and less intense than razor through the fat of the pork, and cabernet sauvignon, but has similar herbal and fresh fruit flavors. the herbal, berry and mineral character “At wineries such as Hourglass, cabernet franc is different from the leaner and more herbaceous of the wine complements the fruit and vegetable accompaniments of the pork.” Loire wines. Hourglass is unapologetically modern, which means rich and full-flavor, more red fruit At Oliveto, Oakland, California, the wine than blue. This is a stylish wine, and many diners like it.” list showcases Italian and global wines. At Hourglass Winery in Calistoga, owner Jeff Smith almost ripped out the cabernet franc Owner Bob Klein prefers to list “wines when he bought the Blueline Estate vineyard in 2006. But after Smith’s winemaker reluctantly with a story,” especially family owned wineries that focus on sustainable grape vinified the cabernet franc, they were both blown away by the quality of the wine. growing. Domaine de Nerleux is a ninth- “It was a risky decision to bottle the cabernet franc on its own, especially when we priced generation, family owned winery in the it at $135 a bottle, but we felt it was one of the best wines,” Smith says. “Our early fan base was Loire’s Saumur-Champigny region.