FRANCLY FANTASTIC
“Cabernet Franc is about to become one of the world’s great grapes,” says Thierry Germain, owner/winemaker of Domaine des Roches Neuves in Saumur-Champigny.
He’s right. It’s a great time to enjoy Cabernet Franc from the Loire. The grape yields so much more than light, easygoing selections to sip young or even slightly chilled. Today, the wines are increasingly rich, vibrant and long lasting.
A succession of superb vintages (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018) has only helped solidify the idea that Cabernet Franc bottlings from the central Loire Valley deserve to be taken seriously.
Four appellations, often organic or biodynamic, are the heartland of this transformation: Saumur-Champigny, Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. These appellations produce red wines made from Cabernet Franc that are increasingly impressive. They offer smoky perfumes, rich berry fruits and fine structures.
Cabernet Franc was first planted in the central Loire Valley more than 700 years ago. Vineyards now stretch across its bucolic appellations, lining castle, in the east.
