Founded in 1993, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards identified cabernet franc as of the best varieties to grow in the southern Okanagan.Supplied
In most winemaking regions, cabernet franc is a supporting act. It is seen as useful for adding fragrance and finesse to a blend, but something of a curiosity when produced as a single-variety wine as is the case in Bourgueil and Chinon in the central Loire valley, and increasingly in Canada.
In vineyards in British Columbia and Ontario, cabernet franc has come be one of the most celebrated grape varieties. It is the most planted red in Ontario and fourth-most-planted red in British Columbia — after merlot, pinot noir, and cabernet sauvignon. The wines produced are highly touted by wine writers (guilty) and sommeliers but are often disregarded by consumers unaware of the existence of another cabernet.
Cabernet franc is like Micheal Cera’s Allan in Barbie, easily overlooked compared to cabernet sauvignon’s unstoppable Kenergy. But once you see it as a wine with a different personality, you’ll see it for all its charms. Well-made cabernet franc has a plushness, an approachability that appeals, but too little is produced around the world for the grape to become a dominant variety like pinot noir or merlot.
Cabernet sauvignon, which is a crossing of cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc, has the name recognition, but cabernet franc is better suited overall to the growing conditions in Canadian vineyards. The vines can survive tough winters and the fruit ripens earlier than cabernet sauvignon (10 days or more in the South Okanagan). The skin of the grapes is thinner than cabernet sauvignon berries, which makes the style of wine lighter in colour and tannin (the astringent compounds contribute structure, texture and weight to a wine).
Speaking in general terms, cabernet francs made in British Columbia deliver a full-bodied and mouth-filling style, with robust ripe fruit and savoury flavours. Its expression from Ontario is often lighter and leaner, but flavourful with freshness and complexity. There are a range of cabernet franc styles to enjoy as well as some impressive rosé wines.
Typically, there is a green “vegetal” element to the flavour of wines made from cabernet franc grapes. Wine drinkers accustomed to bold and jammy red wines from California can misconstrue that a hint of herbaceous aroma or flavour with underripe grapes, which isn’t the case. Those savoury, floral and vegetal notes are a key aroma and flavour compound for the variety.
Tinhorn Creek, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, was an early champion of the variety in the southern Okanagan. Founding winemaker Sandra Oldfield used 10 per cent of merlot in the blend of Tinhorn’s first varietally-labeled cabernet franc in 1996. The following year, she decided the wine was better if she only used cabernet franc and carried that tradition forward for the next 18 vintages she produced before the winery sold to Andrew Peller. As much as she believed in the quality of the wine, it was a tough sell, she explained during an interview in 2013 to celebrate the first release of Tinhorn Creek’s Reserve Cabernet Franc. “We often debated pulling half of our cabernet franc vines out,” she explained.
In Ontario, Vineland Estates and Thirty Bench have long been advocates, producing stylish and pleasurable red wines from their estate vineyards since the early 1990s. That dedication has seen a rise in quality wines made by wineries across the province.
In the right hands, the other cabernet can offer refreshment as well as flavour.
Notable Ontario producers: Fielding, Fogolar, Megalomaniac, Peller, Ravine Vineyard, Stratus, Tawse, Two Sisters, Thirty Bench, Trius.
Notable British Columbia producers: Bench 1775, Burrowing Owl, Culmina, Hester Creek, Fort Berens, Gold Hill, Mission Hill, Painted Rock, Poplar Grove, Tinhorn Creek.