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By The Glass By Lyle Fujioka |
Flirtation with cabernet
franc finally pays offIn contrast to the Old World format of buying wines based on regional growing areas, our New World consumers are coming on board with grape varietal as the primary concern.
Cork dorks easily play the association game of growing area to respective grape type -- Burgundy equates to pinot noir or chardonnay; Rhone, syrah, grenache and mourvedre; Bordeaux equals cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petite verdot.
This focus on varietal instead of region developed with California producers and has proven an effective marketing tool throughout the New World. Australia promotes syrah as shiraz; Argentina has gained impressive market share with malbec. Chile's effort in bringing carmenere, Bordeaux's lost varietal, back to awareness has been admirable.
Back in New World America, producers have been flirting with cabernet franc for years and it is finally paying off. Except for the famed producer Cheval Blanc, Bordeaux has relegated cabernet franc to a blending role.
The potential of California cabernet franc as a world-class wine became evident when Gustav Dalla Valle created Maya, a 50/50 blend of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon.
With a bit of tasting guidance, cabernet franc can easily be discerned by its distinctive spicy, leafy green aromatics -- a treasured complexity component in Bordeaux. Domestic wine growers have been pushing for more ripeness, which has led to wines with more exotic nuances and less herbaceous character.
Explore these selections:
Marc Bredif, Cabernet Franc 2000, Chinon ($12-$14): Typifies how this grape shows in a cool weather region. Cabernet franc ripens early, which makes it compatible with the Loire Valley. Light to medium in body, with spicy cherry aromatics and flavors. No pretension about being a serious, complex wine. Enjoy it for what it is -- a quaffing wine.
DiStefano "Meritage" Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec 2000, Washington ($14.95): The 1999 version was a runaway best seller. In 2000 a more serious yet still bursting-with-juicy-fruit wine has been delivered. It reflects the path of very ripe cabernet franc moving from herbaceous to more exotic spicy tones in aromatics and flavor.
Crocker & Starr, Cabernet Franc 2000, Napa ($40): Pam Starr, former winemaker of legendary Spottswoode, has crafted a wine that further defines and validates the world-class potential of California cabernet franc. Amazing aromatics and so seductive in complexity with blueberry, violets, minerals and exotic brown spices all in joyful harmony. Contemplative, yet easily enjoyable, a very serious wine well worth the investment.
Lyle Fujioka owns Fujioka's Wine Merchants.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine
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