Cabernet Franc
Bordeaux blending grape sitting between merlot and cabernet sauvignon; violet aromas, dark chocolaty flavors when ripe.
About the grape
Cabernet franc plays an important role in top Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blends, making up half or more of Right Bank blends in Pomerol and St.-Émilion. It is generally not as fleshy as merlot nor as structured and intense as cabernet sauvignon, sitting in perfect mid-prance between the two; unripe it shows green bell pepper, but in warmer years it can be fantastic, with violet or irislike aromas and minerally, dark chocolaty flavors. Loire Valley Chinon is the most well-known example; genetic research shows it originated in Spain's Basque country.
