Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is thought to come from the Basque Country: DNA profiling has found parent-offspring links with two old Basque varieties, Hondarribi Beltza and Morenoa, though which way each link runs is not settled. It is believed to have been established in Bordeaux's Libournais by the 17th century, although the first firm Bordeaux records date only from the late 18th, and in the Loire the name Breton recalls the legend that Cardinal Richelieu sent Abbé Breton to plant it at Bourgueil. Its ability to ripen reliably in cooler, damper sites than its more demanding descendant gave it early importance in the Loire Valley, where it remains the backbone of Chinon and Bourgueil.

Its most significant legacy came from DNA analysis published in 1997, which revealed Cabernet Franc, not some grander variety, as one of the two parents (with Sauvignon Blanc) of Cabernet Sauvignon. Later work showed it is also a parent of Merlot (with Magdeleine Noire des Charentes) and of Carménère (with Gros Cabernet) — so this lighter, more herbaceous grape sits behind three of Bordeaux's best-known reds.