Cabernet Franc is one of the so-called Big Five Bordeaux grapes, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. As with some of these it's often used as a blending grape. On its own you'll find a leaner, floral, and often herbaceous wine. The best have a nice complexity and can age.
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| Cab Franc vineyard in early spring, Rockpile |
Interest is gaining with Cab Franc in the Napa & Sonoma area as demand for the wine and vineyard plantings are up, but it's still a minor player. Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard acreage in Napa & Sonoma combined is about 30,000 acres. Cabernet Franc is only about 1,800. More than half of California's Cab Franc is in Napa & Sonoma.
Prices, however are not always minor. In Napa there are many approaching $100 a bottle and a few from fancy growing areas, such as Diamond Mountain, going for $150. That, as they say, is real money. I suppose the most prestigious region in Sonoma County for Cab Franc is the Rockpile appellation where you can see prices in the $75 area though most Sonoma County Cab Franc is probably in the $30-$50 range.
Winemakers have fiddled with Cab Franc for a number of years and just recently seem to have gotten if right. If under-ripe it tastes like raw green vegetables. If too ripe the floral and other complexities are lost.
When done just right it is pretty fantastic. Not as big and heavy as a Cab Sauv, not as simple as Merlot or Malbec. I consider it a good warm weather replacement for those big Cabernet Sauvignons that just don't taste so good on a warm day.
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