Cabernet Franc is a red grape from Bordeaux and the Loire, one of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, and in Italy it makes both fragrant, herbal reds in the northeast and some of the most refined Super Tuscans on the Tuscany coast. It gives lighter colour and softer tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon, with distinctive aromas of red fruit, violets and fresh herbs.
Cabernet Franc has been grown in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia since the nineteenth century. Its Italian story has a twist: in the 1990s, ampelographers discovered that much of the "Cabernet Franc" in northeastern Italian vineyards was in fact Carmenère, a different Bordeaux variety. Since then the two have been separated, and Italian Cabernet Franc has gained a new reputation, especially in Tuscany, where a few estates have shown what it can do on its own.
In Tuscany, Cabernet Franc thrives in Bolgheri and along the coast, where it ripens more easily than Cabernet Sauvignon and keeps its fragrance. Several estates make it as a single-variety wine, and it is a key part of many Bolgheri blends, including the most famous one, which contains a share of Cabernet Franc alongside Cabernet Sauvignon. Inland, it does well in cooler, higher sites such as the Val d'Orcia.
In Veneto and Friuli, Cabernet Franc is a traditional variety of the hills and plains, where it makes everyday reds with a marked herbal character. Smaller plantings exist in Lombardy, Trentino and Sicily.
Cabernet Franc buds and ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, so it suits slightly cooler sites. Too little ripeness brings green, leafy flavours; well-ripened grapes give perfumed, silky wines.
Northeastern Italian Cabernet Franc is lighter, crisp and distinctly herbal. Tuscan Cabernet Franc is riper and more polished, often aged in French oak, with aromatic depth and silky texture. The best Tuscan examples age gracefully for 15 years or more.
For a first taste, try a Cabernet Franc from Friuli or Veneto: affordable and true to the variety's fresh, herbal side. Then compare it with a Tuscan single-variety Cabernet Franc or a Bolgheri blend, to see how the grape changes with warmth and oak. Our guide to the best Super Tuscan wines covers the main coastal estates.
Names associated with Italian Cabernet Franc include Le Macchiole and Ornellaia in Bolgheri, Tenuta di Trinoro in the Val d'Orcia, and Antinori's Guado al Tasso.
On Bordeaux-style blends the grape is often not named on the front label: check the back label or producer notes. Cabernet Franc is a natural partner for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. See more varieties in the grape varieties index.