cabernet franc

Also known as: Breton (Loire), Bouchet (Saint-Émilion), Cabernet Frank (Italy)

Cabernet Franc stands in the shadow of its descendant Cabernet Sauvignon, yet it is the more elegant of the two. Where Cabernet Sauvignon shows structure and power, Franc brings herbs, graphite and a silky texture. In the Loire – Chinon, Bourgueil, Saumur – it achieves a finesse as a single varietal that disappears beneath Merlot in Bordeaux.

Charles Joguet and Château de Coulaine demonstrate what Loire Franc can do: cool, precise, with that typical capsicum note. Duemani on the Tuscan coast proves that the variety can also handle warmth – there it becomes fuller, yet always remains more refined than Cabernet Sauvignon.