First of all, what do we know about Cabernet Franc? what kind of grape variety is it ? What kind of wine do we taste when we open a bottle of them?If you can not answer these questions suddenly by heart, it is also not a problem, because here we try to answer all the basic questions of this variety!
:) Starting with a short summary on Franc.
... It is said Cabernet Franc is one of the major red grape varieties worldwide. /so Cabernet Franc is one of the twenty most widely planted grape varieties./
It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux wine style, called Bordeaux cuvées, but can also be vinified alone. (for example, this time we tasted only 100% Cabernet Franc and 2 bottles only from selected grapes and vinyards!)
Cabernet Franc is basicly less pungently aromatic and lighter than the Sauvignon making a bright pale red wine and contributing finesse and a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. In good locations and years it can attain superior depth of flavour (aged for 15 or than 10 years).
And depending on growing region and style of wine, additional aromas can include tobacco, raspberry, and cassis, sometimes even violets or sloe.
It has also slightly less tannin than Sauvignon and tends to produce a wine with a smoother mouthfeel….
So they can be the main information what are suggested to have as a preknowledge about the grape before I start to explain about our homemade blind wine tasting, so let's have a look now what happened at us some days ago....
Telling the truth, I like Franc-s, and I wanted to explore our sortiment and test our tasting abilities how we can make differences between franc-s from different Hungarian wine regions. Well, with this idea, I arranged 4 glasses with 4 different wines for my partner specialist (only I knew which wines we have in which glass :))), and I gave him the task to find out which wines they can be in the glasses, from which regions, from which vintages and from which winemakers.
:))))
You can think now: UHHH...quite a difficult task! and I have to agree with you, because for a specialist is a very hard and comlex work as well to definite wines without any main points...
But I have to declare that our blind taster specialist was not bad, moreover really good in guess!
And what about the results?
Well, I could collect some very interesting conclusions:
1. Even if you know a lot about Cabernet franc, quite difficult to find out in a blind way from 4 different wines that all, what you taste, are franc-s!
2. our Franc-a were totally different from each other, depending on determinants such as wine region, winemaker, vintage and style!
3. very interesting to recognise and describe wines without any preknowledge and prejudice! :)
4. not every wine can be drinkable suddenly (sometimes 1 day later much better their taste!)
so when we drink a good Cabernet Franc, we should give time to the wine! then it can be so thanksful to us!
5. Our opinion is that alone vinified Franc-s can be also so wonderful, so it is great that not only for blends are grown!
6. some cabernet franc can be very funny and can make jokes with us! :)
As it is a very colourful wine and grape variety suggested to taste every time when you have possibility to get in touch with some examples. :))
For us made fun to taste them and somewhen we would like to continue our franc queue with other bottles. :)
But I think, next time, I have to be on the another side.... :))
And finally the wines of our home-made tasting:
1. Bolyki: Cabernet Franc 2006
2. Csányi: Cabernet Franc 2006
3. Takler: Cabernet Franc 2007
4. Tiffán: Cabernet Franc 2007
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