Cabernet franc is one of the world’s great wine grapes. In Bordeaux, it is used primarily as a blender both as a support to merlot in the right-bank appellations and to cabernet sauvignon in the left-bank appellations. In the cooler Loire Valley of France, it is the only grape contributing to the red wines from appellations like Chinon, Saumur-Champigny and Bourgueil. Although cabernet franc has been grown in Napa for decades, mainly as a blender that smooths out cabernet sauvignon, its popularity as a stand-alone varietal started to build roughly 15 years ago. In 2001, there were just 11 Napa wineries making a cabernet franc, while in 2021, there were 60 or more. Here at Pride Mountain Vineyards, we have been bottling our Cabernet Franc each vintage since 1993.

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