Sitting around last night my decision
was to go for a walk or open a bottle of wine and write a blog.
Guess I chose the healthier option because here's my blog! When I
pulled the 2009 Billsboro Cabernet Franc from my wine fridge it gave
me the idea to write about cabernet franc in Italy. I wanted to
share more about this grape and where it's mostly found and some of
the characteristics compared to other countries. First, I do want
to discuss this particular wine though from Billsboro
winery in Geneva, NY.
In the Finger Lakes it's one of the
prominent grapes producers are using to make red wine and is often
primarily as a 100% cabernet franc wine rather than being blended
with other grapes. I enjoy this wine at select wineries throughout
this area and this cabernet franc didn't disappoint, hence why I always pick up some bottles from my favorite wineries. For a 2009 it still had good acidity to it and
was on the drier side, but had some blackberry and
raspberry on the palate. If you're more curious about the wines from
the Finger Lakes I make an annual trip there and you can view some of
my information about the region and the lakes from my last visit
(Seneca
Lake, Keuka
Lake, more Seneca
Lake wineries).
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| Finger Lakes |
Many know cabernet franc as being one
of the grapes in the wines of Bordeaux, France or also the wines of
the Loire in France. Being an Italian wine blog though I wanted to
share with you where this grape is prevalent in Italy. This grape
has been produced in Italy since back in the early 1800's. Cabernet
Franc grows best in cool climates and is probably the reason why this
grape is mostly found in the Tre Venezie of northeastern Italy
(Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige). Out of the
three regions it is mostly grown in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia. You
can also find cabernet franc grown throughout other regions in Italy
including Lazio, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. In Tuscany
it's blended with other grapes to form some of the most famous super
tuscans of all time, such as Ornellaia and Sassicaia.
In Italy you will find cabernet
sauvignon or cabernet franc labeled just as cabernet. It's a blend
or a cross between the two, but most of the time the wine is
primarily made up of cabernet franc. One of the more confusing
things about Italian grapes is that they are known as different names
in different regions making it more of a challenge to understand, for
example, cabernet franc in Veneto is known as bordo.
Typically cabernet franc is known for
being lower in acidity and tannin and showing profiles of blackberry,
raspberry, earthy tones. It can also have more vegetal
characteristics like bell pepper. In Italy you may find more
herbaceous notes to the wines. I will be sure to share cabernet
franc wines of these regions discussed so we can compare and
contrast. Have you had any from any of these regions that you enjoy?
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