In
Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc is traditionally planted where Cabernet Sauvignon will
not fully ripen. It is generally
considered a fall back variety, and if a grower could grow and completely
mature Cabernet Sauvignon in a particular vineyard site, Cabernet Franc would
not be considered. Therefore, most
Bordeaux producers would be extremely happy if their Cabernet Franc could taste
like Cabernet Sauvignon since that is what they would have preferred to plant
in the first place. Thus most producers of Cabernet Franc attempt to make a wine
similar to Cabernet Sauvignon from this grape.
Initially I did too, and I was disappointed time and again. So when Enver Salman asked me if I was
interested in trying his Cabernet Franc, I wasn’t too hopeful about the
outcome. Enver and his son, Joe, do a
terrific job growing Petite Sirah and they handle Cabernet Franc quite well
too. For my contribution, I stopped
trying to force a square peg into a round hole and let the Cabernet Franc make the
medium bodied wine it wants to, and sure enough the results have been very
satisfying.
