The greatest Cabernet Franc wines from the Loire Valley are found one the north and south banks of the river, inside a triangle formed by Chinon, Bourgeuil and Saumur. A zone where the clay-limestone hillsides produce great wine terroirs that give birth to complex and deep wines, built for ageing. But Loire cabernet franc wines cannot be confined to this rather small zone. Without Cabernet Franc, there are no fine Anjou red wines and even less the pleasant finesse of the wines produced in the new Touraine Chenonceaux appellation, where blended with the Cot grape variety, Cabernet Franc produces smooth wines with beautiful aromatic richness.
It is presumably before the year 1000 that monks from the abbey of Bourgueil introduced the cab franc grape variety into the surrounding vineyards. As for the nickname “Breton” given to Loire Cabernet Franc, it could stem from a local abbot named Breton who planted the first vines of the grape somewhere between Bourgueil and Richelieu.