Cabernet franc : un rouge floral, fin et peu tannique
29 bouteilles où le cabernet franc s'exprime, de 8,50 € à 399 €A red that smells of violet and raspberry rather than jammy blackcurrant, that is served cool and does not scrape the gums: that is the signature of Cabernet Franc. The father of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carménère, it ripens earlier than its offspring and gives finer, more floral, less tannic wines.
The selection gathered here mixes single-variety Cabernet Francs, mainly from the Loire and South America, with blends in which it plays only a supporting role. The two tables that follow tell you which is which.
Château Queyron Pindefleurs - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2018
Right Bank Merlot: black fruit and leather, with the structure of a Saint-Émilion built for ageing.
Château de Targé - Saumur-Champigny Red 2019
Blackcurrant, blackberry and green pepper: Saumur Cabernet Franc in its structured style.
Revancha - Primera Revancha Malbec 2016
A Malbec with velvet tannins, from the best plots of the estate
Dona Paula - Altitude Series 1350 2019
Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Casavecchia form a complex trio within the famous Gualtallary terroir
Tenuta San Guido - Sassicaia 2022
One of the most exceptional wine creations of the century
Ce que chaque vignoble fait du cabernet franc
Cabernet Franc ripens about two weeks before Cabernet Sauvignon. This earliness explains almost everything: it allows it to succeed in cool climates, where its offspring stays green, and it forces it to seek altitude or sea breezes when it heads for the sun.
| Origine | Ce que le lieu lui donne | Style du vin | Prix d'entrée |
|---|---|---|---|
| LoireBourgueil, Saumur-Champigny | Tuffeau, Atlantic freshness and ripeness only just reached in good years. | Rouge léger à moyen, framboise et violette, tanins fins, à boire frais. | 17 € |
| BordeauxSaint-Émilion, rive droite | Argiles et calcaires froids, où il complète le merlot sans jamais le dominer. | Rouge de garde, mine de crayon et fruit noir, charpente droite. | 33,40 € |
| ArgentineMendoza, Valle de Uco | L'altitude sauve l'acidité, l'amplitude thermique fixe la couleur et le parfum. | A dense but fresh red, violet and pepper, often backed up by Malbec. | 21 € |
| ChiliLimarí, Vallée centrale | Cold influence of the Pacific and the Andes, a long, dry, bright season. | Rouge mûr et net, cassis et poivron doux, tanins souples, prix serrés. | 9,90 € |
| Afrique du SudStellenbosch, Swartland | Sols anciens, brises de False Bay et tradition d'assemblage bordelais au Cap. | Rouge structuré au fruit sombre, note fumée, acidité bien marquée. | 15,90 € |
| ItalieBolgheri, Vénétie | Tuscan and Venetian warmth, where it is behind the Cabernets of the Tyrrhenian coast. | Rouge ample, herbe fraîche et fruit confit, du passerillage au cru classé. | 27,90 € |
| États-UnisCalifornie, Finger Lakes | Two opposite climates: Californian heat and the cold of New York's lakes. | Rouge riche et boisé d'un côté, pur et tendu de l'autre. | 44,80 € |
| AustralieClare Valley, Coonawarra | Terra rossa et nuits fraîches, il vient épauler cabernet sauvignon et malbec. | A straight red, mint and eucalyptus, firm tannins but without heaviness. | 34 € |
| BrésilSerra Gaúcha | A humid southern vineyard, where its early ripening is an advantage over late-ripening varieties. | Rouge souple, végétal noble et fruit rouge acidulé, à boire jeune. | 13,40 € |
What sets it apart from neighbouring reds
It is filed among Bordeaux's secondary grape varieties, which is a matter of misplaced perspective: it is the parent. Three of the world's most widely planted reds descend directly from it, and the comparison comes down to ripening date and texture, never to quality.
| Cépage | What they have in common | What sets them apart | À choisir quand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabernet sauvignonSon descendant direct | Born of its cross with Sauvignon Blanc: same blackcurrant, same graphite. | Plus tardif, peau plus épaisse, davantage de tanin, il exige un climat chaud. | You want a structure that lasts ten years. |
| MerlotL'autre enfant du cépage | Même parent, mêmes terroirs de rive droite, ils s'assemblent depuis toujours. | Plus charnu, plus rond, moins acide, au fruit mûr plutôt que floral. | You are looking for immediate softness, without nervousness. |
| MalbecLe compagnon argentin | They are blended almost systematically in Mendoza, with the Franc bringing the perfume. | Aucune parenté : couleur plus noire, tanins veloutés, fruit nettement compoté. | You are serving grilled meat and prefer volume to tension. |
| CarménèreLe cousin retrouvé au Chili | Également issu du cabernet franc, il en garde le poivron et la note fumée. | Mûrit beaucoup plus tard, texture plus grasse, registre végétal plus insistant. | You actually like that green pepper side and you cook spicy food. |
Here it is rarely alone in the bottle: many labels show it alongside Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. The single-variety versions can be recognised by the cuvée name, from Bourgueil, Tuscany, the mountains of Mendoza or Brazil.
Du poivron à la violette, une question de maturité
Two scents sum up the grape. Green pepper, tomato leaf, sometimes boxwood: these are pyrazines, very present when the grapes have not finished ripening. Then violet, crushed raspberry and that dry pencil-lead smell, which come with ripeness. A successful wine keeps a trace of the first register without being trapped in it.
Serve it between 15 and 16 °C for wines from the Loire and Brazil, 16–17 °C for high-altitude bottles and Bordeaux blends. Half an hour in a decanter is enough for young wines: it disperses the green notes and opens up the fruit.
What it likes on the plate
The lighter versions go with rillettes, roast poultry, fresh goat's cheese or grilled peppers: the green notes in the wine echo those in the dish. The denser versions, from Argentina, South Africa or Tuscany, call for rare beef, a leg of lamb or feathered game. Avoid very spicy food with the most tannic bottles.
L'équipe du Baroudeur du Vin
Ce qu'on nous demande sur le cabernet franc
Par quelle bouteille commencer quand on ne connaît pas ce cépage ?
Choose one from the Loire: these bottles are all available individually and they show the grape without make-up. A Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil at €17 or a Saumur-Champigny at €18.80 gives you the exact register: raspberry, violet and fine tannins. You will then know whether you want to move up in density, towards Argentina or the Cape.
Quel budget faut-il prévoir ?
Prices start at €15.90 for a South African blend sold by the bottle, and the Loire starts at €17. Most of the section sits between €20 and €50, which covers Argentine high-altitude cuvées and Italian crus. Beyond that, you are paying for rarity: Sassicaia from Bolgheri is listed at €399.
Faut-il carafer un cabernet franc ?
For a young wine, yes; half an hour is enough. Decanting removes reduction and softens the green pepper note that sometimes dominates when the bottle is first opened. For a bottle more than ten years old, simply open it an hour beforehand and pour gently: the structure is delicate, and brutal aeration tires it instead of waking it up.
Combien de temps se garde-t-il en cave ?
It depends on the style. A light Bourgueil or Saumur-Champigny is drunk within five years, peaking at around three. The tannic versions – Saint-Émilion, Stellenbosch blends, Argentine high-altitude Cabernets – last ten to fifteen years. The great Tuscan crus go well beyond that, provided they are stored lying down somewhere cool and dark.
Pourquoi sent-il parfois le poivron vert ?
These are pyrazines, molecules found in the grape skins and broken down by ripeness and sun. They come through when the grapes were picked early, when yields were high or when the vintage lacked warmth. In moderate amounts, this note is very much part of the grape's identity.
Pur ou en assemblage, qu'est-ce que cela change ?
On its own, it gives an aromatic, medium-coloured wine with lively acidity and fine tannins. In a blend, it provides the aromatic backbone: a few per cent is enough to bring violet and freshness to a more massive Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon. A large share of the bottles gathered here fall into this second category.
Pourquoi certaines bouteilles ne partent qu'en lot ou en caisse ?
When the single bottle has sold out, the packaging still in stock at the producer takes over: lots of 2 or 3 bottles, or cases of 6. The price per bottle is the same or lower. The product page shows the formats actually available, so check it before confirming your basket.
À quelle température le servir ?
Between 15 and 16 °C for wines from the Loire, Brazil and lighter cuvées: any warmer and the alcohol takes over and the floral scent disappears. Go up to 16–17 °C for Bordeaux, South African and Argentine blends, which need a little warmth to relax their tannins.
Which dishes should you pair it with?
The lighter cuvées get on well with charcuterie, roast poultry, fresh goat's cheese and above all grilled vegetables, especially peppers and aubergines. The structured cuvées want rare red meat, a rib-eye steak, a leg of lamb or feathered game. The grape also goes very well with a slightly spicy vegetarian dish, which is rare among reds.