Wines made from Cabernet franc grapes of Pineau des Charentes
Discover the best wines made with Cabernet franc as a single variety or as a blend of Pineau des Charentes.
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.
Pineau des Charentes is a Sweet and reasonably strong "Vin de Liqueur" from the Charente (Cognac) region of western France. It is made by adding Cognac brandy from the previous year's distillation (or earlier) to fresh Grape must from the current Vintage. By law, the must must be freshly harvested and, although it may have undergone partial Fermentation, its sugar content at the time of "Mutage" (when the brandy is added) must be greater than 170 g per litre. The Cognac itself must have an Alcohol content of at least 60 % and must have been kept in casks before being used.
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