| Grape variety |
Cabernet Franc |
| Synonyms |
gros cabernet, cabernet francese, grosse vidure, cabonet bordò. |
| Grape colour |
Red grape |
| Aromas |
Aromatised |
| Variety |
Allochthonous |
| Vigour |
Good |
| Ripening |
End of September, early October. |
| Productivity |
Abundant and constant (in non-sanding strains), of excellent quality, especially in the hillsides. The "Cabernet franc" currently in cultivation has several "coulards" strains; In this case the bunches are very spotty. The described clone belongs instead to a recent selection (made by one of the writers and now propagating) in which the complained disadvantage can be considered almost eliminated. |
| Areas of cultivation |
In Italy there are two subvariates: the first, most common in France, in our country is present in the provinces of Brescia and Frosinone, while the second, mainly used in Italy, is cultivated in particular in the Three Venezie, especially in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino. |
| History |
Vine of Bordeaux origin and more precisely of the Gironde, today very popular all over the world. Almost always vinified together with cabernet sauvignon and / or merlot. |
| Ampelographic features |
Leaf: medium to large as long as long, pentalobata; Petiole breast in closed appearance and with crossed lobes, but often becomes narrow V if the limb is stretched (often there is a characteristic tooth in the petiole breast); Upper, moderately deep, closed back breasts; Lateral lower breasts U close and less profound; Center-buckled lobes, planes with revolving margins; Wavy flap, corner at the top of the right lobe; Slightly dull upper page, glabra, of dark green, opaque with ribbed, greenish ribs; Pronounced teeth, irregular, convex, mucronate on a broad basis.
Bunch: medium, long, pyramidal, winged, spatula; Visible peduncle, large, half-legged, green the unlinned part; Short pedicels, thin, reddish; Average-looking, verrucous, intense violet red; Small brush, vinous red; Easy acina separation.
Acino: Medium (14 mm transverse diameter) of a slightly subdued shape and regular cross section; Blue-black peel, very pruinose, thick, consistent, with persistent navel; Slightly fatty flesh, sweet and slightly herbaceous flavor; Almost colorless juice. By chewing the peel, it is a distinctive herbaceous flavor, which is also found in wine and which Rovasenda has called "vegetable flavor, like green pepper". |
| Characteristics of the wine obtained from this grape variety |
With the cabernet franc you get an intense ruby red wine with vivid purple reflections. The scent is intense, and on a delicate fruity base it expresses herbaceous notes. The taste is dry and well-structured, with taste-olfactory persistence that recalls the sensations of vegetation already perceived by the smell. It fits very well with cheeses with cabernet sauvignon and merlot. According to prof. Fregoni, almost all the cabernet franc cultivated in Italy is, in fact, carmen. A widespread variety in the Bordeaux area would have been "sacrificed" for merlot's favor and brought to Chile, where it is giving distinctive characters to the wines of that country. How to distinguish the carmen from the cabernet franc? An empirical method may be to taste the acorn. If the taste of green pepper is very net it could be very carmen, very rich in pyrazine, the substance responsible for this particular taste. |