Wines made from Cabernet franc grapes of Rhône méridional
Discover the best wines made with Cabernet franc as a single variety or as a blend of Rhône méridional.
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.
Côtes du Rhône is a regional appellation in the Rhône Valley in eastern France. It applies to red, rosé and white wines, and includes more than 170 villages. The area follows the course of the Rhône southward for 125 miles (200 km) from Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône to Avignon. A small portion of the wines in the appellation are white wines.