Cabernet Franc Symposium: the patriarch of Bordeaux

by Valeria Tenison

On Thursday, June 8th, around 100 wine professionals, including scientists, oenologists, sommeliers, and journalists, gathered in Château Jean Faure in St Emilion for the 1st Symposium dedicated to the region’s most ancient grape variety – Cabernet Franc.

Jean-Michel Boursiquot, agronomist and honorary professor of ampelography, launched the event with a presentation about the grape’s history, ancestry, and current global plantings. The vast amount of synonyms proves the ancient origin of Cabernet Franc: Atxeria, Bidure and Vidure, Bouchet and Bouchy, Breton, Carmenet, Gros, and Petit Brandé are just some of its most common names. One hypothetical ancestor is via the grape known as Biturica, planted during the Roman occupation along the Western Atlantic coast of France and Spain, although Boursiquot dates its arrival in modern form in Bordeaux to the 1700s. Genetic analyses show its Basque origin and close connections to Hondarribi beltza and Morenoa varieties, but Cabernet Franc’s parents have probably disappeared. Thanks to the studies of Carole Meredith and John Bowers in 1997 at UC Davis and later research by Jean-Michel Boursiquot, we know today that Cabernet Franc is a parent of both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The widely known 16th century quote from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais about “ce bon vin breton” is often cited as the first mention of Cabernet Franc, but Professor Boursiquot remains cautious. He reminds us that until the mid-19th century, the two Cabernets (Sauvignon and Franc) and Carmenère were frequently confused.

Share of plantings
In contrast to the globally present Cabernet Sauvignon, Franc, with 31,614ha in 2021, remains largely in France. China comes second with around 5,000ha planted. In France, two regions share most of the plantings – Loire Valley (49%) and Aquitaine (33%). Within Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc occupies 8.6% of the vineyard area (9,145ha in 2021).

Further presentations by Francis Minet of Pépinières Guillaume and Lilian Bérillon of Pépinière Bérillon revealed a severe problem. In 2022 78% of Cabernet Franc grafting was made with only four clones of 31 approved in France. A high-quality Loire clone 214 is far ahead of all the others with 47%. Lilian Bérillon warned the growers about using this limited selection: genetic diversity is the key to successful adaptation in the light of climate change. Despite its hardy wood that is effective at resisting frost, Cabernet Franc is highly vulnerable to drought, and recently growers tend to graft the grape to a drought-resistant rootstock like 1103 Paulsen and 110 Richter to ease the water stress.

During the round table with the producers Philippe Alliet (Domaine Philippe Alliet), Cyril Chirouze (Clos Rougeard), and Pierre-Olivier Clouet (Château Cheval Blanc) discussed the main viticultural characteristics of the grape. They all agreed that the best terroir for Cabernet Franc is limestone slopes where good drainage goes hand in hand with excellent water retention capacity allowing the vines to have a sufficient water supply during the year.

Vinifying with Cabernet Franc
In the afternoon, Philippe Darriet, professor of Bordeaux University and director of ISVV (Institute of Grapevine and Wine), presented the main winemaking parameters of Cabernet Franc. He described the grape as “exigent” or exacting (later, we also heard the word “diva” from the winemakers). Its complex aromatic combines fruity nuances of raspberries and cassis with delicate floral hints (violet) and the typical herbaceous notes. This signature greenness brought by IBMP (3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine) can positively express itself with nuances of menthol and eucalyptus, but in cool years or careless viticultural techniques might drift towards unpleasant asparagus, artichoke, and green pepper notes.

At the round table, Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve), Thierry Germain (Domaine des Roches Neuves), Guillaume Pouthier (Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion) shared their winemaking experiences with Cabernet Franc. Guillaume Pouthier is the only one who regularly uses stems during vinification. The warm location of the vineyard in the middle of the Bordeaux urban centre allows for full maturity  of the grapes, meaning brown, healthy, ripe stems – although other growers noted that in their vineyards, the stems of Cabernet Franc remain green even in warm years.

The educational programme of the Symposium finished with a tasting of wines from the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Argentina, and Italy made with 100% Cabernet Franc, or where it is the dominant grape in a blend. ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2000, Olivier Poussier, guided the participants through different terroirs and styles. The evening finished with a dinner created by Vivien Durand (Prince Noir) accompanied by the wines of Château Jean Faure, Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Château Cheval Blanc, Clos Rougeard and a 1944 Rose de Cabernet by René Daviau.