Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for
blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also
be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being used in blends and produced as a varietal
in Canada and the United States it is made into ice wine there.
Cabernet Franc is lighter than
Cabernet Sauvignon, making a bright pale red wine and contributing finesse and
a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. Depending on growing region
and style of wine, additional aromas can include tobacco, raspberry, and cassis,
sometimes even violets.
Records of Cabernet Franc in
Bordeaux go back to the end of the 18th century; it was planted in Loire long
before that. DNA analysis indicates Cabernet Franc is one of two parents of
Cabernet Sauvignon, a cross between it and Sauvignon Blanc.
History
Cabernet Franc is believed to have been
established in the Libournais region of southwest France
sometime in the 17th century when Cardinal Richelieu transported cuttings of the vine to
the Loire Valley. They were planted at the Abbey of Bourgueil under the care of an abbot named Breton, whose name
became associated with the grape. By the 18th century, plantings of Cabernet
Franc (known as Bouchet) were found throughout Fronsac,
Pomerol and St-Emilion, making quality
wines. As Cabernet Sauvignon became more popular in the 18th & 19th
century, the close similarity of the two grapes was observed and theories
emerged as to the extent of the relationship. In 1997 DNA evidence emerged to
show that Cabernet Franc crossed with Sauvignon blanc to produce Cabernet
Sauvignon.
Cabernet
Sauvignon is one of the world's most
widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine
producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet
Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux
wines where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France,
the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found
new homes in places like California's Napa Valley, Australia's Coonawarra region and Chile's Maipo Valley. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's
most widely planted premium red wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in
the 1990s.
Despite its prominence in the
industry, the grape is a relatively new variety, the product of a chance crossing
between Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc during the 17th century in
southwestern France. Its popularity is often attributed to its ease of
cultivation - the grapes have thick skins and the vines are hardy and resistant
to rot and frost - and to its consistent presentation of structure and flavours
which express the typical character ("typicity") of the variety. Familiarity and ease of
pronunciation have helped to sell Cabernet Sauvignon wines to consumers, even
when from unfamiliar wine regions. Its widespread popularity has also
contributed to criticism of the grape as a "colonizer" that takes
over wine regions at the expense of native grape varieties.
History and origins
For many years, the origin of Cabernet Sauvignon was not
clearly understood and many myths and conjectures surrounded it. The word
"Sauvignon" is believed to be derived from the French sauvage
meaning "wild" and to refer to the grape being a wild Vitis vinifera vine native to France. Until recently the
grape was rumoured to have ancient origins, perhaps even being the Biturica grape used
to make ancient Roman wine and referenced by Pliny the Elder. This belief was
widely held in the 18th century, when the grape was also known as Petite
Vidure or Bidure, apparently a corruption of Biturica. There
was also belief that Vidure was a reference to the hard wood (French vigne
dure) of the vine, with a possible relationship to Carménère which was once known as Grand Vidure. Other theories
were that the grapevine originated in the Rioja region of Spain.
While the period when the name Cabernet Sauvignon
became more prevalent over Petite Vidure is not certain, records
indicate that the grape was a popular Bordeaux planting in the 18th century Médoc region. The first estates known to have actively grown
the variety (and the likely source of Cabernet vines for other estates) were Château
Mouton and Château d'Armailhac in the Pauillac.
The grape's true origins were discovered in the late
1990s with the use of DNA typing at the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and
Enology, by a team led by Dr. Carole Meredith. The DNA evidence determined that
Cabernet Sauvignon was the offspring of Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc and
was most likely a chance crossing that occurred in the 17th century. Prior to
this discovery, this origin had been suspected from the similarity of the
grapes' names and the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon shares similar aromas with
both grapes—such as the black currant and pencil box aromas of Cabernet franc
and the grassiness of Sauvignon blanc.
Offspring and White Cabernet
While not as prolific in mutating as Pinot noir nor as
widely used in production of offspring, Cabernet Sauvignon has been linked to
other grape varieties. In 1961, a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache
produced the French wine grape Marselan.In 1977 a vine producing 'bronze' grapes was
found in the vineyards of Cleggett Wines in Australia. They propagated this
mutant, registered it under the name of Malian and have sold pale red wines
under that name. In 1991 one of the Bronze Cabernet vines started producing
white grapes. Cleggett registered this "White Cabernet" under the
name of Shalistin.Compared to its Cabernet parent, Malian
appears to lack anthocyanins in the subepidermal cells but
retains them in the epidermis, whereas Shalistin has no anthocyanins in either
layer. The team that went on to discover the VvMYBA1 and VvMYBA2 genes that
control grape colour have suggested that a gene involved in anthocyanin
production has been deleted in the subepidermis of Malian, and then
subepidermal cells invaded the epidermis to produce Shalistin.
"It's invaluable to have contact with all the restaurateurs and the wine store people" (at the Winefest) - Niva Martin - La Frenz Winery Principal.
