Of Castles and
Cabernet Franc
Leisure Days in the Loire
By Michael Cervin
T
here is a legend that the
Abbey at Brittany was home
to some of the first planted
Cabernet Franc grapes in the
soils of France’s Loire Valley.
It believed that cuttings came from
the Basque region in the 11th
Century, over 1,000 miles away. We
don’t know who planted what when
and exactly where, but we do know
the Romans had vines under
cultivation in Loire even before
that. Today the Loire is known for
Cabernet Franc, and its stunning
castles of which 42 of over 300 are
part a UNESCO World Heritage site
throughout the 600-mile long valley.
Located southwest of Paris it is
The author with
Carine Reze
Frances’ third most prominent wine
region behind Bordeaux and the
Rhone Valley. Parts of the Eastern
Loire are easily accessed by car just
an hour drive from Paris, and a main
jumping off point for one-day and up
to three-day tours. The TGV train
can get you to various Western
points like Angers and Nantes in
less than three hours.
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc in the Loire is the
antithesis of Cabernet Franc from
California. This should not imply
that New World Cabernet Franc
is lesser in quality, but to truly
understand the origins, complexity
and uniqueness of Cabernet Franc,
a nothing much of a grape in
California, you need to taste Loire
thereby giving yourself a reference
point. Cabernet Franc in France is
picked earlier, rarely gets any oak
treatment, has a surprisingly
complex acidity and offers specific
dark berry notes common to Franc.
It is the soils - limestone, clay, and
slate - that give Franc its structure.
“The acidity is the arrow that gives
the wine direction,” says winemaker
Fredrik Filliatreau. And what you find
from the villages of Anjou to Saumur,
to Chinon and Bourgueil is a wine of
diverse characteristics.
At Domaine Leduc-Frouin in Anjou
I visited brother and sister team
Antoine and Nathalie Leduc-Frouin
who hand harvest 74 acres of
Cabernet Franc, some of which was
planted by their grandfather 60
years ago. Though this age is not
uncommon, Anjou Cab France is
meant to be consumed within
a few years as it leans towa