Wines made from Cabernet franc grapes of Côtes de Bordeaux - Page 2
Discover the best wines made with Cabernet franc as a single variety or as a blend of Côtes de Bordeaux.
Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.
The Côtes de Bordeaux appellation was created in 2009 to merge four existing appellations used in the Bordeaux region of France. These four appellations are The Premières Côtes de Blaye, Côtes de Castillon, Côtes de Francs and the red wines of the Cadillac region. The latter were previously under the appellation Premières Côtes de Bordeaux. The changes were a commercially motivated decision, intended to create unity between these important but lesser known appellations.