Tracing the Cabernet Franc family of wines to Washington
Cabernet Franc is a very, very important red grape variety often playing second fiddle to its offspring -- Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In 1997, DNA testing revealed Cabernet Franc had crossed with Sauvignon Blanc to produce Cabernet Sauvignon. The ultra-rare Magdeleine Noire des Charentes is the other parent of Merlot.
In Bordeaux, which worldwide winemakers often aspire to emulate, Cab Franc is usually blended. On the left bank it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and sometimes smaller quantities of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
On the right bank of the Gironde River, Cabernet Franc plays the leading role in the blend, often replacing its offspring Cabernet Sauvignon. Here it is blended with its offspring Merlot to produce some of the world’s most highly collectible wines.
The most famous of these are from the communes of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion. Château Ausone is a blend of 60 Cab Franc and 40 Merlot with an average price of around $900! Château Angélus vineyards are planted to 50 Merlot, 47 Cab Franc and 3 Cab and a bottle would sell for about $650. And the venerable Chateau Cheval Blanc with 54 Merlot, 40 Cab Franc, 6 Cab would set you back $950 on average.
But wait! there are Right Bank wines even we mere mortals can afford. There are bargains galore to be had in satellite regions surrounding Pomerol and Saint-Émilion. If the name on the label touts Cotes de Castillon, Canon Fronsac, or Lalande de Pomerol and it’s around $20 -- 40 bucks, snap it up!
Another region in France where Cab Franc is not very well known and therefore affordable is in the Loire Valley. It was planted here in the 11th century, well before it was ever in Bordeaux.
In the Loire Valley, the Cher is the longest river in France and runs from east to west where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Vineyards scattered along the river banks are predominantly planted to white grapes such as Chenin Blanc (Vouvray), Sauvignon Blanc (the other parent of Cabernet Sauvignon) and Muscadet (not related to Muscat).
Chinon vineyards sit on the clay and limestone slopes or along the gravelly, sandy riverbanks. These different soils produce diverse Chinons that take on distinctive flavor profiles and lighter color because the terroir. Quite different from Bordeaux.
In other parts of the wine world, winemakers seek to imitate the great wines of Bordeaux. And since they can’t call it Bordeaux, the wines may masquerade with “Meritage” on the label or have a proprietary name like Opus I or Franciscan Magnificant.
In Washington State, the first plantings of Cabernet Franc were cultivated in experimental blocks in the Yakima Valley during the 1960s.
In 1985, Cabernet Franc was planted in the Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima AVA. The first Washington single varietal Cabernet Franc was released in 1991 by Columbia Winery. Chateau Ste Michelle followed with grapes planted in their Cold Creek Vineyard.
In the 1990s, Chinook Winery planted Cab Franc in their vineyard and released their first single varietal Cab Franc in 1995. Chinook has produced a Cab Franc from their estate vineyard and other select vineyards in the Yakima Valley ever since. Chinook Winery also produced the state's first Cabernet Franc rosé.
Kiona Winery and Vineyards planted a small block of Cab Franc at their Red Mountain estate vineyards in 2002 for blending and to add aromatics and acidity. Every once in a while they produced a single varietal Cab Franc but in 2017 they hit gold. Wine lovers snapped it up and asked for more. As a result, Kiona made lots more the next year - from 100 cases to 400 in the 2018 vintage.
Today, Cab Franc is the fifth most widely planted red grape in the state behind Cab, Merlot, Malbec and Syrah. From several recent tastings, I pulled together a list of Cabernet Francs that were given stars in my scribbled notes from Wine on the Rock, Walla Walla Valley in Seattle, and Taste Washington and some of the great vineyards where it is grown.
Arbor Crest Conner Lee Vineyard Cabernet Franc is an elegant blend made from grapes grown in several blocks of the reputable Conner Lee Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA.
The Connor Lee Vineyard one of the most highly regarded was established in the early 1980’s with the guidance of renown viticulturist Dr. Walter Clore, the Father of Washington wine. The vineyard is composed of glacial marine sediments left by the Missoula floods.
Barrage Cellars 2017 Yakima Valley Cabernet Franc is from the Boushey Vineyard (54%) and Red Willow Vineyard (46%). Aged 28 months in mature French barrels. This one garnered two out of three stars.
The venerable Boushey Vineyard is on the outskirts of Grandview, at 1,400 feet, with soil consisting of silt loam and windblown loess sitting on top of fractured basalt. This is a cooler site that produces grapes that are small, thick-skinned, and loaded with flavor. Red Willow Vineyard, first planted to Cab Franc in 1985, is one of the warmer sites in the Yakima Valley.
Cadence Bel Canto 2019 is a right bank inspired blend of 83% Cab Franc and 17% Merlot. Winemaker Ben Smith proclaims - bel canto, n. a.) A style of singing characterized by beauty of tone rather than dramatic power [Italian, literally: beautiful singing], b.) Cadence blend of Cab Franc and Merlot grown on its estate Cara Mia Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA. Two Stars.
Camaraderie Cellars in Port Angeles has an award-winning 2018 and 2019 vintage. And yes, they get their grapes from some great vineyards in the Yakima Valley AVA.
Dama Wines 2018 Cabernet Franc has high scores for this outstanding wine that spent 22 months in French Oak, half new and the other half used.
Lagana Cellars 2018 Eritage Vineyard Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Franc has a subtle herbaceous character with plenty of fruit. Two Stars.
Owen Roe was pouring their excellent 2019 Union Gap Vineyard Cabernet Franc. Two Stars.
Rolling Bay 2017 Cabernet Franc. From the steep, southern slopes of Snipes Mountain, this vineyard was planted in 1988. This elegant wine earned two stars.
Wilridge 2018 Estate Vineyards Naches Heights AVA Cabernet Franc was an old friend that I hadn’t tasted in a long, long while. Two stars.
Sulei Cellars 2019 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Franc has a touch of Merlot too! From the Seven Hills Estate Vineyard, one of the oldest in Walla Walla.
Next up: That other obscure Bordeaux red grape Petite Verdot!
Mary Earl has been educating Kitsap wine lovers for a couple of decades, is a longtime member of the West Sound Brew Club and can pair a beer or wine dinner in a flash. She volunteers for the Clear Creek Trail and is a longtime supporter of Silverdale.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: How the Cabernet Franc family of wines came to Washington
