Divine

Loire

In our Magazine

Cabernet franc

In the smoky candlelight of a medieval stone hall, one might imagine monks in the 11th century tending vines that would become the ancestors of today’s Cabernet Franc, a grape thought to have arrived from the Basque Country before settling comfortably in the vineyards of the Loire around Chinon and Saumur. Long overshadowed by its more opulent offspring, Cabernet Sauvignon, it plays a subtler tune—a quiet poet beside its showier cousins. Yet those who lean in close are rewarded with whispers of graphite, violet, and crushed forest berries, wrapped in a structure both lithe and expressive. The varietal was first identified by name in 1534 by François Rabelais, the great humanist and gourmand of Touraine—perhaps a clue to its deep roots in local culture. Its hallmark is elegance over power: mouthwatering acidity, soft tannins, and a freshness that speaks of cool limestone soils and careful harvesting. Some might expect something more brash, but Cabernet Franc prefers subtle seduction: grilled duck over an autumn fire, a quiet view over the Vienne at dusk, or a springtime picnic beneath blooming fruit trees. Best savored in the shoulder seasons, when the light turns amber and the wines feel like whispers of the land itself.
For those craving more, our other pieces lead further down the vine-covered paths of this storied region.