Cabernet Franc

Wine Style:
A sibling red wine grape used in Bordeaux for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon. It is an earlier-maturing red wine, due to its lower level of tannins. Light- to medium-bodied wine with more immediate fruitand may carry herbaceous odors evident in unripe Cabernets.

Flavors:

Origin:
Bordeaux in France.

Found:
Clare Valley in Australia, Bordeaux in France, Villany in Hungary, Friuli, Veneto in Italy, Catalonia in Spain, and Napa, Sonoma in California plus Washington State.

Cabernet Franc is widely planted in Bordeaux and is the most important black grape grown in the Loire. In the Médoc it may constitute up to 15% of a typical vineyard - it is always blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and and is used to add bouquet and complexity to the wines. It is more widely used in St.Emilion where it adapts well to the cooler and moister clay soils - Cheval Blanc (as pictured above) is one of the most famous Cabernet Franc wine in the world, with the final blend consisting of up to 65% of the grape.

The Cabernet franc is ripening in an earlier stage, which gives him reason for existence in the Bordeaux area. In the Loire, where we find him a lot, he gives a clear red fresh and fruity wine. The grape has the aroma of strawberries or raspberries, violets and pencil. In colder climates like the Loire the wines become fresher and fruity. The cabernet franc is also a good basis for rosé, that will be spicy, somewhat unsophisticated, in the nice way, with a dark pink color.

Further Reading:
Wikipedia
Wine Pros
Epicurious
Cellar Notes