2017 BINK CABERNET FRANC - UPSIDE DOWN

McLaren Vale has long been associated with producing heavyweight Shiraz and Grenache. However, thanks to exciting producers such as Ochota Barrels and Jauma, as well as stalwart Steve Pannell, there has been a collective move towards wines that are lighter, brighter and fresher while retaining regional character.

All of this said and done, one approached this particular bottle of McLaren Vale Cabernet Franc with a degree of trepidation. There are very few single varietal expressions of Cabernet Franc in Australia of note. We struggle to capture the grape’s lightness of touch, lifted aromatics and slightly herbaceous, savoury character. One also suspects that the Australian palate, often reared on sweet fruited Shiraz isn’t predisposed to the straight-jacketed, slender nature of Cabernet Franc.

Back to the wine in question. If one didn’t know it came from McLaren Vale, one would swear bling that it is a very good Loire Valley Cabernet Franc. Weighing in at under 13%, it is brightness and freshness personified – cherry confit, raspberry, graphite, lead pencil and a gentle herby twist – this is Cabernet Franc as god intended. It mightn’t be particularly complex, but that is not its purpose, this is a wine made to be drunk young, with good food and good company. Bravo!

2017 BINK CABERNET FRANC
Producer: Bink Wines
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia
ABV: 12.9%
Closure: Diam
Retail Price: $30.00
Date tasted: 2 November 2017

Tasting Note:
Mid-crimson. Super varietal nose of cherry coulis, rhubarb, graphite and lead pencil. Mid-weight, light on its feet, fresh and pulpy. Very Cabernet Franc – rhubarb, notes of freshly chopped herbs – fresh and dangerously moreish. Not particularly complex but uber-gluggable. Scores very high for drinkability.
Score: 16.5+/20

2015 BERNARD BAUDRY CHINON ‘LES GRANGES’ - LIGHT MY FIRE

When it comes to freshness and lightness of touch, few wines do it better than Loire Valley Cabernet Franc. In a good vintage such as 2015, lively acidity is matched by elegant, ripe red fruit, all in a mid-weight frame. Such is the Bernard Baudry’s 2015 Chinon ‘Les Granges’.

‘Les Granges’ is the entry level expression from Baudry. As such, it is intended for early consumption and doesn’t possess the weight, intensity or potential longevity of more ambitious cuvees. There is no hint of greenness about this wine. Bright red fruits are to the fore, with typical lead pencil shavings lending a touch of complexity.

There’s a lot to like here, and sufficient stuffing to suggest that it should improve in bottle over the short term. One suspects that it will be showing better in 6-12 months and should drink well for another 12-18 months thereafter.

2015 BERNARD BAUDRY CHINON ‘LES GRANGES’
Producer: Domaine Bernard Baudry
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 12.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $32.00
Date tasted: 20 February 2017

Tasting Note:
Bright cherry red. Direct nose of delicate red fruits, dusty herbs, pencil shavings. Dry, medium bodied, sour cherry and pomegranate entwined with lead pencil. Very fresh and easy, albeit not particularly complex, though likely to develop more complexity with a further 6-12 months in bottle. Good stuff for an entry level release.
Score: 16/20

2015 ST NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL ‘SABLES’ - FRANC-IE, DO YOU REMEMBER ME...

Loire Valley Cabernet Franc is one of the under-rated jewels of the wine world. At its best, it is aromatically expressive, no more than medium bodied, tremendously fresh and bright. There are few other red wines that offer better drinking when the sun is out.

This particular example ticks all of the boxes. Being grown on sandy soils, it is relatively light, with soft tannins. It is a wine to enjoy now and over the next year or two, preferably with rare lamb chops straight off the barbecue.

2015 ST NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL ‘SABLES’
Producer: Domine du Mortier
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 12.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $35.00
Date tasted: 30 October 2016

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby red. Typical Cabernet France nose of blackcurrant leaf, redcurrant and lead pencil shavings. Medium bodied, soft and supple. Cabernet France to a tee – savoury and elegant, but not lean or austere. Easygoing and confident.
Score: 16/20

2013 FIEGL ‘VILLA DUGO’ CABERNET FRANC - DIFFERENT CLASS

North-east Italy is best known for its texture, aromatic and spicy white wines, some of which are among the best white wines made anywhere. While reds generally play a secondary role, there are many good examples made from varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Refosco.

We generally don’t associate Friuli with inexpensive, everyday wines. Fiegl is one producer that defies perceptions. Its ‘Villa Dugo’ Cabernet Franc, with a retail price of around $22 per bottle, is a genuine bargain. It possesses perfectly balanced, ripe Cabernet Franc fruit, with no sign of excess or green herbaceousness.

This is a highly elegant, refined and supple wine. It invites one in with attractive aromatics. No more than medium in body, it is restrained. While unmistakably Cabernet Franc, it avoids its herbaceousness tendencies. For those who enjoy understated wines rather than simple, ‘big fruit’, there is a lot to like here.

2013 FIEGL ‘VILLA DUGO’ CABERNET FRANC
Producer: Soc. Agricole Fiegl
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2013
Region: Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Diam
Retail Price: $22.00
Date tasted: 16 October 2015

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet. Attractive nose of blackcurrant, cherry, freshly tilled earth, truffle, pencil shavings, pine resin. Dry, medium bodied, elegant and stylish. Epitome of restraint. Fine, supple and suave with nothing out of place – immaculately balanced. Soft and silky in a Pinot Noir way, but definitely Cabernet Franc. Drink now. Genuine bargain.
Score: 17.5/20

2012 ROSS HILL ‘ISABELLE & JACK’ CABERNET FRANC MERLOT - AROMATIC LOVE

At its best, Cabernet Franc can be wonderfully aromatic and elegant. Appellations such as Chinon, Bourgueil and St Nicolas de Bourgueil showcase Cabernet Franc at its best. In Australia, we tend to see Cabernet Franc primarily as a blending variety as part of Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux blends.

Too rarely, Australian examples of single varietal Cabernet Franc display the grape’s alluring aromatics. Orange’s Ross Hill is one exception. ‘Isabelle & Jack’ is a Bordeaux Right Bank-inspired blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. While relatively simple, it displays excellent varietal character, particularly in terms of the Cabernet Franc component.

This wine displays attractive grassy aromatics intermingled with red fruits (redcurrant, pomegranate) typical of Cabernet Franc. As mentioned above, it is straightforward and direct, but deserves merit for textbook varietal definition.

2012 ROSS HILL ‘ISABELLE & JACK’ CABERNET FRANC MERLOT
Variety: Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Vintage: 2012
Region: Orange, New South Wales
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $20.00
Date tasted: 11 October 2014

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet in appearance. Open and slightly aromatic nose; grassy, gently herbaceous, pencil shavings, redcurrant. Dry, medium bodied and savoury, gentle tannins. Relatively simple but displays good varietal character in the red fruit vein.
Score: 15/20

2010 DOMAINE DU MORTIER ST NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL 'DIONYSOS' - YOU'RE SO COOL

The central Loire Valley has pretty much a monopoly when it comes to single varietal Cabernet Franc. The appellations of Chinon, Bourgueil and St Nicolas de Bourgueil set the standard when it comes to the variety. For one reason or another, they tend to be wines appreciated by a relatively select few. Accordingly, the very best examples are very reasonably priced.

Under-ripe Cabernet Franc can be rather unpleasant, with painfully astringent tannins. However, the best examples of the variety display lovely fragrant aromatics, a ripe yet savoury palate, framed by fine tannins and fresh acidity. These elegant and extremely food friendly wines are well suited to Australia’s warm climate; medium in body and with a natural freshness typical of the best wines of the cool Loire Valley.

This particular example was organically farmed by Domaine du Mortier, a relatively new player in St Nicolas de Bourgueil. Slightly reductive at first, it displays the best attributes of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc; a red-fruited nose, stylish palate and bright lifted acidity. To be fair, it is just a youngster, and will benefit from another 4-6 years in bottle. Cabernet Franc, take a bow, you’ve won this drinker over.

2010 ST NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL ‘DIONYSOS’
Producer: Domaine du Mortier
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2010
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 13%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $34.00
Date tasted: 6 October 2013

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby red. Slightly reductive on opening, but blows off with air, rhubarb, raspberry coulis, blackcurrant, pencil shavings. Dry, ripe blackcurrant/raspberry fruit up-front, graphite, woodsmoke, elegant and medium bodied, ripe fine tannins, well integrated fine acidity on the finish. Quite primary – needs 5 or so years in the cellar.
Score: 16.5/20

FRANC-LY MY DEAR......

Be it Chinon, Bourgueil, St Nicolas de Bourgueil or just Anjou Villages, Loire Valley Cabernet Franc remains highly unfashionable. While the very top wines from Bordeaux command thousands of dollars a bottle, a good example of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc costs no more than $50 per bottle, sometimes considerably less.

The 2009 Anjou Villages Sur Schistes (grown on schistous soil) from leading producer Château Pierre-Bise, actually a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, is a wine that can not be replicated outside of the relatively cool climate of the Loire Valley. Just medium in body, it delivers a refined palate of vibrant dark berry fruit. Savoury and with lively acidity, it is immensely food friendly, and would be glorious with a roast leg of lamb or rib of beef. It possesses fruit depth and a tannic framework only seen exceptional vintages. This beauty is best left for at least 5 years and should keep for or a decade or so thereafter. At less than $25 per bottle, it is a veritable bargain.

2009 ANJOU VILLAGES SUR SCHISTES
Producer: Château Pierre-Bise
Variety: Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2009
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $24.99
Date tasted: 7 January 2012

Tasting Note:
Deep ruby red. Concentrated nose of cassis, essence of summery berry fruit. Quite tight on the palate, plenty of structured fine grained tannins. This is a wine that needs time, at least 5 years. Plenty of vibrant dark berry fruit when one digs beneath the tannins, cherries, plums and blackcurrant. In the modern wine context, this is a veritable bargain, particularly when compared to current prices for red Bordeaux. Cellar for at least 5 years before approaching.
Score: 17+/20