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The Wine
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The wine carries all of Cabernet Franc's signature plushness, a grape whose wines
Rabelais once compared to taffeta.
Billowing from the glass come savory, meaty aromas, plus coffee beans, new
leather, hints of milk chocolate, and those inimitable cedary, spice-box scents
that make Cabernet Franc so compelling.
Black fruits, fascinatingly exotic floral aromas, and structure all come from the
Malbec, which makes this blend like no other in the world.
The wine is very expressive, with notes of blood oranges, cherries, cassis, and
raspberries.
The palate typically has a core of supple tannin that suggests in most vintages, the wine
will improve for 8-12 years.
Here is a Bordelais blend with its own unique signature, poised to stand among the
finest produced in Napa Valley.
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Cabernet Franc
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Cabernet Franc is one of the major varieties of red wine grape in Bordeaux.
It is mostly grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the
Bordeaux style, but is also vinified alone, particularly in Chinon in the
Loire.
Cabernet Franc is lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon (of which it is a parent),
contributing finesse and a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes.
Depending on growing region and the style of wine, additional aromas can
include tobacco, raspberry, and cassis, sometimes even violets.
The Cabernet franc wine's color is bright pale red.
There are records of Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux going back to the end of the
18th century and it was planted in Loire long before that.
The fact that it is known as Breton in the Loire suggests that it originally
came from Brittany, which would be consistent with its preference for
cooler temperatures.
Recent DNA research has shown that Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of
a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
In general Cabernet Franc is very similar to Cabernet Sauvignon,
but buds and ripens a little earlier and prefers a slightly
cooler climate. The vine is vigorous and upright, with dark-green,
5-lobed leaves.
The winged bunches are elongate and small-medium in size.
The small berries are quite small and blue-black in colour, with fairly thin skins.
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