Let's Be Franc:
A grape whose time has come?
By Tracy Kamens
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Those 188 acres account for 10 percent of Long Island vines, compared to 35 percent for Merlot. But despite its smaller presence, Cab Franc is gaining prominence. Although it is frequently blended, especially in its homeland of Bordeaux, many Long Island wineries are discovering that, as the star, Cab Franc can have its own charm and character. Such wines typically provide aromas and flavors of raspberries and currant along with a certain leafy or herbaceous quality. When compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, these wines are generally lighter in body, with softer tannins and more pronounced aromas. Yet, even with its rising stature, numerous philosophies regarding Cabernet Franc abound within the region.
At Bedell Cellars and Corey Creek Vineyards, winemaker Kelly Urbanik aims to produce a “fruity, more fun wine that's lighter and feels like a less serious wine” with Cab Franc. “It's a variety that can feature earthiness, tobacco and some green notes that add to the complexity,” she adds. “It also has lots of fruit, such as cherry and raspberry.” However, Ms. Urbanik appreciates that Cab Franc requires a gentler hand than Merlot. To preserve fruit-forward aromas and avoid over-extraction, which might otherwise lead to vegetal notes in the wine, the grapes are fermented at a cooler temperature and pressed earlier than other red grapes. Her style of Cab Franc also sees less aging in new oak barrels, as it can't stand up to too much wood influence.
Ms. Urbanik also uses Cab Franc in blends, with percentages varying depending upon the vintage. For example, 2006 Taste Red has a higher proportion of Cab Franc than the 2005 vintage of the same wine. The 2007 First Crush Red has nearly 50 percent Cab Franc, blended with Merlot. Ms. Urbanik says the resulting “super fruity” wine “shows a different direction you can go with Cabernet Franc.”
At Channing Daughters Winery, winemaker Christopher Tracy admits he loves Cabernet Franc and drinks it himself. But he takes a different approach from many of his colleagues. Acknowledging that it's a tough grape to ripen, especially in this region, Mr. Tracy finds that Cab Franc is often a little greener than he would like, but says that in some vintages, such as 2005 and 2007, it can be good. That said, most of the time it's too vegetal for him and he prefers to vinify it into an expressive, dynamic rosé. Mr. Tracy says the same characteristics he finds objectionable in a red wine become highly desirable in the context of a white wine and “can make the best rosé around.”
At Roanoke Vineyards, three acres of the total seven are planted to Cabernet Franc and co-owner Richard Pisacano confesses, “we're definitely excited about the variety.” In addition to his pair of Bordeaux-style blends, aptly named Blend One and Blend Two, Mr. Pisacano will soon introduce new wines to his portfolio: two varietally labeled Cabernet Francs. In 2006, he and his father, Gabby, chose 12 rows of Cab Franc and farmed them differently from the remaining Cab Franc vines. With particular emphasis on crop yields, the smaller plot produced riper fruit, but only 1.9 tons per acre. In the winery, these grapes received special treatment, with a gentler fermentation, shorter maceration (steeping on grape skins) and longer oak aging (19 months vs. 14), all of which resulted in more complexity and layers of ripeness. The other Cab Franc wine is also showing well and should be released in late fall/early winter.
The upshot of this experiment has been a change in Roanoke's vineyard, with increased attention to such viticultural practices as fruit thinning. It also confirmed for Mr. Pisacano that Cab Franc is very sensitive to crop yields. He noted, “the flavor profile changes almost profoundly; when underripe it has notes of green bean, green spice and floral aromas, but when it gets to dead ripeness, it becomes something different, something deep and rich, with darker fruit.”
In more typical years, Mr. Pisacano finds that Cab Franc can be delicate, light-bodied, aromatic and completely balanced and, with its higher acidity, is the red wine most easily paired with local seafood. Moreover, because it doesn't need oak, it expresses the terroir (the combined influences of its growing environment) and the purity of the fruit, creating an easy-drinking, everyday wine.
While Richard Olsen-Harbich, winemaker at Raphael says he, too, is “a big fan of Cabernet Franc,” he believes it's hard to imagine building an industry on it. He sees the greatest potential of the region in red vinifera varieties, but with Merlot as the lead player. However, Mr. Harbich notes that sometimes Cab Franc achieves a level of real beauty and, as a case in point, reports that his 2007 Cabernet Franc is “one of the best wines I have in the cellar; it is unlike anything I have ever tasted.”
Concurring with Mr. Pisacano, Joseph Macari of Macari Vineyards believes that “Cabernet Franc as a variety is excellent and shows the terroir of Long Island.” He suggests that, “at times, Merlot can get boring,” but “Cabernet Franc has lots of character and is very exciting. It's a beautiful variety and it helps you so much in a blend.” With these strengths, he predicts that “Cabernet Franc has a great future” on Long Island.
Tracy Kamens, who holds a doctorate in education, earned the Diploma of Wine and Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and is a member of the American Wine Society. With her husband, Jared Skolnick, she founded and runs Grand Cru Classes, a wine-education concern based in Mattituck. Visit grandcruclasses.com for more information.