Cabernet Franc is thought to have been born in the Basque region of Spain, close to the French border. In France, Cabernet Franc is planted throughout Bordeaux, where it is often blended with Merlot, creating highly sought-after wines, such as Cheval Blanc. During the 17th century, Cardinal Richelieu, who had a great fondness for Cabernet Franc, brought vine cuttings of this grape from Bordeaux to the Loire Valley, where it has flourished ever since. Cardinal Richelieu died on December 4th, 1642 and Cabernet Franc Day has been celebrated on the anniversary of his death since 2015.
Cabernet Franc is the parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and Merlot. It flowers and ripens early, allowing it to be grown in cooler climates. Cabernet Franc is lighter in colour and tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon and often exhibits flavours of red fruit (strawberries, raspberries and cherries) along with herbaceous notes, such as bell pepper. Incidentally, the pyrazines that create these herbaceous flavours, occur naturally in Cabernet Franc vines and act as a defence against pests. This allows Cabernet Franc to be planted in a range of climates including Canada, China, France, Italy and the United States of America.
Cabernet Franc is often blended with other grape varieties but it also produces beautiful, single variety wines. This year I am celebrating Cabernet Franc Day with two great examples from Okanagan Crush Pad. These wines are unoaked, allowing the fruit to shine, and they paired very well with mushroom and blue cheese burgers.
2018 Narrative Cabernet Franc $30.99
Grapes were sourced from organic vineyards in Kaleden and Osoyoos. This wine was fermented and aged in concrete tanks for ten months.
Aromas of warm clay over top of ripe strawberries, redcurrant, dried cherry and dried chili. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with medium+ acidity and fine, medium- tannins. The palate offers mineral and clay notes, stewed strawberries, bright, red plums, smoky, dried chilies and salinity with a medium finish.
2019 Free Form Cabernet Franc $44.99
The grapes for this wine are from Sekhon’s Organic Vineyard in Osoyoos. They were destemmed and put into open-top, stainless steel fermenters where fermentation was spontaneous with native yeasts and malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged in concrete for eleven months prior to bottling in August 2020.
Aromas of strawberry jam, dried cherries, dried herbs and mocha. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with medium+ acidity and fine, medium tannins. The palate offers dried strawberries, and dried cherries, blackcurrants, herbs and dried chili peppers with a backbone of salinity and a medium+ finish.
The Okanagan Crush Pad has been very busy this year! They joined the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), creating measurable sustainability goals in addition to existing estate organic practises. They have also successfully raised $750,000 in funding through a FrontFundr, becoming the first winery to use a crowdfunding platform to enable customers to become owners through micro-investments (click here for more details). In addition, they are also excited to announce that their new tasting room is nearing completion and will be ready to welcome guests in Spring 2023.
References
Allan, Rita. (June 11, 2019). The “Noble Father” – Cabernet Franc. Retrieved from: https://www.city-vino.com/blogs/blog/the-noble-fathercabernet-franc/
Cabernet Franc. Retrieved from: https://winefolly.com/grapes/cabernet-franc/
Cabernet Franc Day – December 4, 2022. Retrieved from: https://nationaltoday.com/cabernet-franc-day/