Cabernet Franc: Like a horde of Norman invaders down the gullet

Background check: Cabernet Franc

It is time friends to reveal the next variety of the month. March shall be the month of Cabernet Franc (KA-behr-nay FRAHNGK). For those of you who may not know Cab Franc is red and is considered a Bordelais (of Bordeaux) varietal where it is usually blended with other varietals to make something a bit more complex than a single varietal wine. Chateau Cheval Blanc, however, uses Cabernet Franc as the work horse in their wine — roughly 60% of their vineyards are cabernet franc. There is a region in France that does tend to celebrate Cabernet Franc’s natural talent to make good, acidic, palate stabbing wines (in a good way). Of course the area I speak of is the Loire Valley (i’m starting to feel like a broken record). The grape is similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, it however is not typically as full bodied and tends to have aromas that go a little bit more on the herbaceous side. It also tends to have lower tannin and acid than Cabernet Sauvignon. Call me crazy but I sometimes enjoy a good glass of Cabernet Franc over a Cab Sauv as they don’t seem to require as much age to release their total potential. I’m too poor and too impatient to age a bottle of wine for over 5 years. Cabernet Franc is also one of the parent grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Sauvignon Blanc. So for the month of march get a bottle or a few cases of some Cabernet Franc, and join us as we celebrate this marvelous, yet sometimes unsung hero of the wine world.