Warm Vs. Cool Climate Cabernet Franc (and what to pair with it)
Climate effects the flavor profile of the wines. Warm climates are generally create fruit tones, whereas cooler climate wines generally will have higher acidity (that feeling in your cheeks that makes you pucker). Wetter climates will generally produce lighter more transparent wines, whereas drier climates will produce wines with heavier body, higher alcohol (that feeling when it warms the back of your throat) and will have more opacity in the glass.
Let’s look at a few comparisons:
Basque, France Loire Valley, France
(where Cabernet Franc is thought (where Cabernet Franc is highly
to originate) regarded)
Middle Loire is called
“Valley of the Kings”
20” annual rainfall 27” annual rainfall
Average temperature between 65-70 Average temperature between 50-55 degrees F degrees F
1600’ in elevation – average 250’ in elevation average
Soils: Pyrenees Mountains divide France Soils: foot of Mont Gerbier de Jonc
and Spain with a warm, humid coastal influence Volcanic, high water table from the
the shallow waters of Bay of Biscay. Loire River lending high sand creating
Mountains are hard limestone with dark clay. soil with soft yellow sand stones,
Climate: Mediterranean with fog hints of pink quartz and slate
diurnal temperature range, Gulf Stream Current, Climate: cool continental but
circulates the air. influenced by the river.
Fascinating -neither linguistically nor
culturally Spanish nor French. It has its own
identity and Basque language. This would
explain the difficulty with
verifying the exact location where Cabernet
Franc originated. Ecologically is diverse.
Aroma & Flavor Profile: Dried Strawberries, Aroma & Flavor Profile: aromatic
roasted peppers, red plums, (slightly fruit forward) violets, sour cherry, tea, pepper,
gravel, earth tones. pencil shavings, tomato leaves, with
Reddish purple in deep color, medium+ body some minerality. Light color and body
medium+ acidity, medium+ tannins, medium with medium+ acidity, medium
alcohol. tannins, medium alcohol.
Similar Climates:
Santa Barbara, CA Napa, CA
17”-19” annual rainfall 5” annual rainfall
Average temperatures 70 degrees F Average temperature 57 degrees F
400’ in elevation average 750’ average elevation
Soils: course sandy loam, grayish brown Soils: Alluvial, gravel, sand, silt from
Climate: Warm coastal influence Mayacamas Mountains
Mediterranean climate with fog Kimmeridgean (limestone, clay &
Diurnal temperature range fossilized shells similar to Chablis, FR)
Somewhat protected by Channel Islands
Santa Ynez Mountain Range
Cab Franc in Santa Barbara is similar to CF in Basque
On a side note, Cabernet Franc has one of the highest levels of pyrazines than any other grape. This factor creates herbaceous flavors that is a natural defense against pests. It’s an aromatic compound that normally has a waxy, sweet, nutty taste. However, these same compounds are responsible for the green bell pepper notes in Cabernet Franc. When you taste a cold climate Cabernet Franc, (and the Brix doesn’t get high enough) or if the yield is cut back, you will definitely smell green bell pepper. Cabernet Franc is growing all around the base of the Alps in Northern Italy and Eastern France. It’s awful, unless you are enamored with drinking green bell peppers. I mean to each his own, right? I can’t tell you not to like it. But if you do enjoy it, you’re a few tastebuds shy of a mouth. Anyway, this isn’t how Cabernet Franc was intended to be enjoyed. It’s a warm climate grape from the Basque region. If my hypothesis is correct, Europe was warmer when Cabernet Franc spread throughout Europe. It certainly wasn’t warmer between 1400-1600’s during the Little Ice Age. And, it had to have been warm for three years after planting for Cabernet Franc to have survived. For each frost after dormancy, it dies back an inch. When a plant is established, it can survive, but not when a plant is young.
For lighter Cabernet Francs, pair with a gorgonzola cheese on a Charcuterie plate. Gorgonzola Cheese and unskimmed cow’s milk cheese that is a soft blue cheese from Northern Italy. It has a soft texture with a buttery sharp bite that is not over powered by the acidity in Cabernet Franc.
Because Cabernet Franc has medium+ acidity, it pairs well with tomato-based dishes. The medium plus tannin would also allow it to pair well with heavy meat dishes.
Cabernet Franc would pair well with Roasted Leg of Lamb
Recipe for Roasted Leg of Lamb
135-150 degrees F for 2 hours (low and slow) for medium done…or a little lower and longer for medium rare. Halfway through the cooking time, add a few fresh rosemary springs on top and cover with aluminum foil
4 pounds of Lamb
2 Table spoons of Olive Oil
2 cans of Crushed Diced Tomatoes
3 teaspoons of Pesto Sauce
¼ cup kalamata olives
¼ cup chopped mushrooms
¼ cup chopped sweet yellow peppers
A few dashes of Turmeric
2 1/2 cups of red wine
Serve on top of a bed of rice with fresh basil for garnish.
“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food”. – Julia Child
With regards to Turmeric, rarely does a recipe actually call for it. However, I’ve been reading about the advantages to adding it to food. It can improve memory, heart health, joint mobility, digestive health and boosts immunities. It contains phytoestrogens. Women who are premenopausal (between 40-60 years old), who are experiencing a drop in estrogen, could be adding Turmeric to their diet to help balance out the hormones and hot flashes. Not that any woman on the planet needs this. We’re perfect. It’s the men who need improving. If they wouldn’t irritate us, everything would be just fine. Those mythological Amazon women had it right.
Anyway, to sum up, I think Cabernet Franc would be ideal to grow in Ventura County. L.A. County might be a bit too hot for it. Ventura County is about 500-700’ in elevation with about 11” of annual rainfall. It has warm Mediterranean Climate with alluvial soils with a lot of sandy loam and clay. In the valleys, clay levels are high so they need to be brought down with gypsum, coffee grinds, compost, peat moss, and kelp.
The biggest problem in SoCal is the water. The water and soil are high in pH and about 7.1 on average. The soils and water are heavily affected by the amount of wild fires that we’ve had. With each fire it raises the amount of Phosphorous and the pH by a point. Fruiting plants and flowers typically enjoy 6.3-6.5 pH. Our California Oaks are dying because the soils are too high in pH. In order to lower the pH of the soil, the best bet is to add chicken manure. It takes several months to decompose and balance the soil, so you have to wait to plant until the pH is balanced, otherwise you risk burning the roots. Steer and horse manure take about a year to completely breakdown into the soil.
On my granddaddy’s farm, we had a few chicken coops. I swore on my life that I never wanted to raise chickens. Nowadays, a bag of chicken manure is $200. That’s a pretty penny and doesn’t get you very far. So it looks like I’ll be raising chickens. I might just raise them during the dormant months and then sell them to hatcheries. Feeding and watering chickens aren’t my idea of a great way to start the day. I can’t start the day with things that smell. I much prefer to start the day with Mocha coffee and a Danish. Plus, I have an awful habit of naming things. Don’t name your chickens. You could starve to death! You’d have nothing to eat or drink but wine and vegetables.
Thanks for reading. Tomorrow is another day.
