Why winemakers love lighter, food-friendly cabernet franc
THERE ARE TWO Cabernets—one famous, one less so. Among winemakers, however, the “other" Cabernet has quite a fan club. Cabernet Franc is actually the genetic parent of the more-famous Cabernet Sauvignon; both are natives of France and grown in many of the same wine regions around the world.
But Cabernet Franc tends to be less tannic and an easier match with food. It’s often lighter in body and color, with attractive red-fruit aromas and, sometimes, herbaceous ones as well. A more reliable ripener and less susceptible to rot, Cabernet Franc is better suited to cooler, more marginal climates.
It’s easy to see why winemakers love the grape. In the Finger Lakes region of New York, Bruce Murray of Boundary Breaks winery is on a mission to make Cabernet Franc the “necessary second grape." (The first, of course, is Riesling, the flagship variety of the Finger Lakes.) Murray’s belief in Cabernet Franc is so great that he plans to plant another 25 acres of the variety over the next decade in addition to the 15 he’s already planted. Judging by the crisp, juicy 2021 Boundary Breaks Vineyard Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc ($25) that I tasted, Murray is on solid ground with this variety.
Still, though Cabernet Franc is the most-planted red vinifera grape in the region, I found only two Finger Lakes wines when I went shopping for Cabernet Francs. The second, the 2021 Ravines Wine Cellars Cabernet Franc ($22), was slightly more structured and full bodied, fermented and aged in French and Slovenian oak. One of the region’s most respected producers, Ravines has been making Cabernet Franc for more than two decades.Co-proprietor Lisa Hallgren noted that she and her winemaker husband, Morten Hallgren, have 25 acres devoted to the variety.
Read more on livemint.com
