Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s that time! Time for the Words of Winedom of the Carpe Vinum Newsletter of Supreme Importance and Tasting Announcement of Superb Indulgence! Tomorrow it’s going to be 7, count ‘em SEVEN, of my newest favorite varietal: Cabernet Franc! Once relegated to obscurity as the backing player in Bordeaux, and the less-oft praised Loire reds, now it has taken on a new life as a cult varietal, especially in our beloved Northerly neighbor, Washington. Come and join the Cab Franc cult!

So what is it, then, this so-called Cabernet Franc? To begin with, I don’t know how many people in the last week had misread my posting of “Cabernet Franc” as “French Cabernet”. This is certainly not the case. That misreading did bring up a good question to me, though, about the origins of the name “Cabernet Franc”. After doing some searching in books and online I came up with: Nothing! The “Franc” part of the name probably does have something to do with the French. But what or why, I have no idea. And neither does anyone else, apparently. The “Cabernet” part of the name is what it seems, considering Cabernet Franc is one parent of the Cabernet Sauvignon, (the other being Sauvignon Blanc). This seems like an unlikely combo to make the powerhouse grape of Cabernet Sauvignon, but that’s another story, and another tasting altogether.

Historically, Cabernet Franc has been and continues to be a major player in the French Bordeaux, mostly as a supporting role to the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but composes a majority of the famous Bordeaux appellation of Cheval Blanc (which you may remember from the movie Sideways as the ultra-expensive and ultra-rare wine Miles drank from a fast-food drink cup). Cabernet Franc is also the main red wine varietal of the French Loire in the regions of Chinon, Bourgeuil, and Saumur-Champigny. Also in Europe it can be found in Italy’s Friuli, and more plantings of it can be found in California, Washington and Australia. Also, it is one of the most widely-planted red grapes in East-Coast wine regions like New York and Virginia. I’d love to give these a shot sometime but they remain unavailable out here on the West Coast and I have never heard of a decent reason why that is the case.

Traditionally the Cabernet Franc can wear many faces. In France and in cooler climates when the grapes don’t get quite as ripe, the wines tend to be more herbacious and vegetal with tighter tannins and lower acidity. In some of the New World locations the Cabernet Franc is taking on riper characteristics like the Cabernet Sauvignon, with larger fruit flavors, but with intense floral notes.

So why am I blabbering on about this grape and this relatively obscure wine? Well, in my travels (and I don’t travel much, so that pretty-much limits it to a yearly trip to Walla Walla) I’ve visited a number of wineries, and been surprised at the explosive qualities of these Cabernet Franc wines I’ve had in the tasting rooms. I found that it was that wine that came home with me most often, and the ones I lamented over the most for dwindling supplies. It seems many of these wines were experimental lots that have become increasingly popular, and we may yet see the Cabernet Franc boom, in much the same way Syrah did a few years ago. The sad thing for right now is the fact that many of the Cab Francs I wanted to feature were tasting-room-only offerings that we can’t get here in town, or just such small lots that they are sold out already.

So what DID we get, then? In Washington we’ve got one of my favorites by Colvin Winery in Walla Walla and then one of the best values out there with the Chinook from the Yakima Valley. From there we head to California for the crowd-favorite of Writer’s Block, with a brief stop in Southern Oregon for the Cab Franc offering of Spangler Vineyards. It wouldn’t be a Cabernet Franc tasting without a few of the French examples. We’ve got Mark Bredif as one of the more affordable examples of Chinon and Roches Neuves as a delicious example of Saumur-Champigny. (Sorry, but the aforementioned Cheval Blanc retails at about $250. If we implemented a $15 “Hedonistically-Expensive” pour, we might be able to swing that. Served in a glass, not a fast food cup.) And finishing out the lineup is the Hanenhof Cabernet Franc from Australia, which has gotten rave reviews, if you pay attention to that kind of thing. Robert Parker gave it 92 points. I give it a “Whoo!” (as well as the rest of ‘em.)

So Friday, February 16th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Cabernet Franc!!!
Chinook 2004 Cabernet Franc, Yakima Washington
Hanenhof 2005 Cabernet Franc, Barossa, Australia
Writer’s Block 2002 Cabernet Franc, Lake County, California
Domaine des Roches Neuves 2005 Saumur-Champigny, Loire, France
Marc Bredif 2004 Chinon, Loire, France

Even More Cabernet Franc!
Spangler 2005 Cabernet Franc, Umpqua Valley, Oregon
Colvin 2004 Cabernet Franc Chelle den Pleasant Vineyard, Walla Walla, Washington

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Oregon Pinot Noir! (And the infamous Pinots-Under-$20 Selection)!

M