As we celebrate Cabernet Franc Day this 4th December, we wanted to bring you the ultimate guide to Cabernet Franc in South America. Cabernet Franc has boomed in recent years to become one of the emerging stars and best red wines in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Find out what makes Cabernet Franc wines from South America unique and worth hunting down…
The ultimate guide to Cabernet Franc in South America
Key descriptors
Deep purple colour. Aromas of red fruit, flowers & wild herbs. Dry, refreshing (medium +) acidity and fine, peppery (medium) tannins with a medium to full body.
Winemaking styles
There are only limited plantings of Cabernet Franc and it’s one of the hottest grape varieties at the moment, so winemaking is typically focused on making premium wines. Hand-harvesting, moderate maceration periods (2-3 weeks), fermented in stainless steel, concrete or barrel, and usually aged for <12 months in neutral oak, finishing with a moderate level of alcohol (14%). Monovarietals and blends.
Guide to Chilean Cabernet Franc wines
Hectares planted: 1,692 hectares
Chilean Cabernet Franc is rapidly gaining ground and a reputation for being a fresher, fruitier and softer alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Franc is reasonably widespread in Chile, with pockets of plantings in the coastal regions, but the vast majority is found in the Entre Cordilleras and Andes regions, notably in Maule, Curicó, Colchagua and Maipo. It is often made into rich, red Bordeaux-style blends, to which it can bring great finesse and perfume. However, you’ll also find a handful of excellent monovarietal Chilean Cabernet Franc wines today.
Cabernet Franc wines from Maule are typically wilder with herbacious and earthy notes, while Cabernet Franc from Curicó can be velvety with notes of cacao. In Colchagua, the Cab Franc is typically richer, with dense black fruit and floral notes; and in Maipo it often has a peppery spine of tannins, along with a delightful leafy freshness.
Favourite producers
Guide to Cabernet Franc wines in Argentina
Hectares planted: 1,352 hectares
Despite its diminutive plantings, Cabernet Franc is all the rage in Argentina and has grown from less than 75 hectares in 1990 to over 1,350 today, and commands the second-highest average export price after Malbec.
What Argentine Cabernet Franc has is the depth, ripeness and concentration that you rarely find in its homeland in the Loire in France. And yet it is more ethereal than Malbec, with lifted floral and herbal notes, refreshing acidity and fine, smooth tannins. And it seems to do rather well in most of Mendoza’s wine regions, from the old vines in Luján and Maipú to the new vines in the Uco Valley, which has the lion’s share of plantings. It’s a great blending partner, but also one of the most exciting single-variety wines to come out of Argentina.
Favourite producers
Guide to Uruguayan Cabernet Franc
Hectares planted: 237 hectares
I’m particularly excited about the potential of Uruguayan Cabernet Franc, which can produce aromatic, floral and juicy wines with leafy and herbal aromas. Winemakers are paying greater attention to this variety which offers an interesting counterpart to its bigger, more structured Tannat wines.
Plantings are still releatively small, especially compared to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon but Uruguayan Cab Franc is definitely one to keep your eye on!
Favourite producers
Terroir Selection: Cabernet Franc wines to try from South America
PULENTA ESTATE, Gran Cabernet Franc
Agrelo GI / $$ / Drinking window <15 years
Pulenta’s Cabernet Franc is one of those wines that once tasted are immediately recognisable from a mile off. One of the first premium Cabernet Franc wines in Argentina, it is wonderfully distinctive: supple and juicy with roasted green capsicum, bitter chocolate and red berries. One of my go-to wines for posh Mexican food!
DURIGUTTI, Proyecto Las Compuertas Cabernet Franc
Las Compuertas GI / $$ / Drinking window <10 years
This peppery Cabernet Franc shows all the freshness of Las Compuertas with its elegant, juicy and aromatic style. Filled with bright red fruit, pink pepper and exotic flowers, it is a lively, crunchy wine that sings of the cool mountain breeze and clear water.
SUPERUCO, Calcareo Granito Cabernet Franc
Gualtallary (Alto) / $$ / Drinking window <15 years
Matías Michelini and his brothers have been working in Gualtallary since the early days and SuperUco is the culmination of their family experience in Uco. This Cabernet Franc is a mouth-watering, energetic wine that also shows the richness and concentration you can achieve in these poor, rocky soils. Lashings of mint chocolate, fresh black fruit, black pepper and a stony minerality — delicious!
BODEGA ALEANNA, Gran Enemigo Gualtallary
Gualtallary (Alto) / $$$$ / Drinking window <25 years
Winemaker Alejandro Vigil has a flair for Cabernet Franc and this wine, with 15% Malbec blended in, is sublime: filled with dark flowers, black spices and fresh red forest fruit. A nuanced, layered wine with a chalky texture and fresh finish that lingers for moments on the lips. Time has tempered this into an elegant wine that will continue to age well for the decade to come.
RUTINI, Single Vineyard Gualtallary Cabernet Franc
Gualtallary / $$$ / Drinking window <20 years
Cabernet Franc wines can really sing in lower Gualtallary too and Mariano di Paulo has cracked it with this delicious wine. Layers of graphite, jarilla, thyme and forest berries lead to a long, juicy and peppery finish.
ZORZAL, Eggo Franco
Gualtallary / $$ / Drinking window <15 years
With the Michelini clan in charge, it will come as no surprise that this was Argentina’s first line of wines to be solely vinified in concrete eggs. This spicy Cabernet Franc is refreshing and vibrant.
KAIKÉN, Obertura Cabernet Franc
Los Chacayes GI / $$ / Drinking window <10 years
Black pepper, redcurrant and violet characterise this fresh and vibrant Cabernet Franc from Los Chacayes. With a chalky tannin on the finish and lingering notes of exotic spice, it’s a wine that will work beautifully with grilled meats marinaded in a dry spice rub.
ATTILIO & MOCHI, Cabernet Franc
Casablanca / $$ / Drinking window <10 years
It took a while for winemakers to get used to the idea that cool-climate Casablanca wasn’t too cool for red varieties, but Brazilians Marcos Attilio and Angela Mochi have jumped on board with this peppery, spicy and herbaceous Cabernet Franc. A lively, juicy wine with spicy tannins and structure. Ideal for barbecued lamb!
SANTA RITA, Floresta Cabernet Franc
Pumanque / $$ / Drinking window <15 years
When you think of Cabernet Franc wines, coastal regions may not be what spring to mind, but this fresh and peppery red wine from the granitic soils of Colchagua’s coastal hills shows great precision and elegance. It is spicy, vibrant and filled with energy and this is a really exciting direction for coastal Colchagua and Chilean Cabernet Franc.
MAQUIS, Franco
Chimborango / $$$ / Drinking window <20 years
While this is from the warm region of Chimborango, Maquis have worked hard to achieve freshness through viticultural techniques and by taking advantage of the vineyard’s cooler riverside position. This Cabernet Franc displays all that freshness and its complex nose of dried black fruit, cocoa, black pepper and graphite.
GILLMORE, Cabernet Franc Old Vines
Loncomilla / $$ / Drinking window <15 years
A savoury and warming wine with dried forest herb, red fruit and balsamic notes, this really shows how well Cab Franc can do in Maule.
BRACCO BOSCA, Gran Ombú Cabernet Franc
Atlántida / $$ / Drinking window <10 years
There’s great potential for Cabernet Franc in Uruguay, and this juicy wine from the cooler coastal side of Canelones shows why: a bright, refreshing wine with aromas of crunchy red fruit, tobacco leaves and fine herbs, and a lively finish with peppery tannins.
SPINOGLIO, Diego Spinoglio Reserva Tinaja
Montevideo / $$ / Drinking window <10 years
This line embraces Diego’s more adventurous side and this Cabernet Franc-Merlot blend has innovation aplenty. From Cuchilla Pereyra, the grapes are aged in clay amphorae, which really helps preserve the regional expression: intense berry fruit with power and length.
CASARENA, Lauren’s Vineyard
Agrelo / $$ / Drinking window <10 years
Casarena specialises in Cabernet Sauvignon, but their Cabernet Franc is also quickly turning heads for its notable Lujan character and excellent value. Their estate Cabernet Franc is probably one of the best at an entry level price point, but Lauren’s Single Vineyard is worth splashing out on… brooding, peppery and long.
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