Hello, dear readers, I am writing to you from my cozy kitchen table. My back door is slightly ajar letting in a nice brisk breeze. I have a cup of Pumpkin Spice tea that I’m sipping from my Halloween mug, and I am biting into a crisp apple that my kids picked last weekend while visiting my parents in Virginia. It looks, smells, and feels light autumn.
Fall gives us the sensation of wanting pull on a warm knit sweater and sit outside by a fire pit with a glass of wine that is warming. Yet, it is not so harshly cold outside that we long for a full throttled wine. Fall is a season of transition in nature and also in what we drink for wine. Now is the “temps” for Cabernet Franc!
Cabernet Franc originates in France and is a relative of the much more structured and tannic Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a grape varietal that flowers and ripens early and, therefore, grows well in more northernly climates. The wines are often quite fragrant with notes of leaves, red cherries, ginger, violets, black pepper, and cinnamon. They are smooth, fruit forward, light in tannin, slightly oaked, and high in acidity; making Cabernet Franc a great wine to pair with food! Many are delicious even in their youth and can be drunk quite young.
It finds its best expression in the French Loire Valley wines of Chinon AC, Bourgueil AC, and Saumur-Champigny AC. Unlike American and other New World wines that are labelled using the predominant grape variety, French wines are named after the village in which they are made. Chinon, Bourgueil, Saumur-Champigyn – these are all French towns located in the Loire Valley of France. If you ask your wine store clerk for a French Cabernet Franc, he will direct you to a wine from one of these towns. The Loire Valley not only produces great red and white wines, but is also known for its stunning castles that were built for the mistresses of the French aristocrats back in the day.
While France is the birthplace and the Loire Valley in particular has a claim to Cabernet Franc fame, it is also a grape that grows well in the United States. Lettie Teague of The Wall Street Journal published Cabernet Franc: The Ideal Summer-Into-Fall Wine and named Cabernet Franc as the quintessential Fall wine. In her article, she highlighted a Cabernet Franc producer out of Napa Valley, John Skupny of Lang & Reed Wine Company who is making a “Loire Valley Style” wine in California.
Being from the East Coast and having ready access to Long Island, I am much more familiar with the Cabernet Franc produced in Long Island. Miss Teague highlighted Paumonak’s winemaker Kareem Massoud and the winery’s Cabernet Franc. I laughed to myself because I have had this wine several times and found it delightful.
I hope that both Mommelier and Miss Teague have convinced you to try a bottle of Cabernet Franc for your next Fall dinner or fireside chat. Swirl, sip, sigh.
Looking for a few suggested Cabernet Franc wines? 6 Great Cabernet Franc Wines to read some of my suggested wines.
Image “Autumn Bucks County, Pa Country Road With Fence” by Julie A. Wenskoski available on freedigitalphotos.net
