Bordeaux Varieties

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

Though the principal grapes of Bordeaux are sometimes snubbed as an internationalising influence on the wines of Italy, their influence is nothing new. Records reveal their presence back in the mid to late 1800s in Piedmont, Friuli and the Veneto, though perhaps today the finest expressions come from Tuscany, in particular Bolgheri. Cabernet Sauvignon (pictured) and Merlot were typical inclusions in blends when ‘Super Tuscans’ dominated the scene, and often topped up Sangiovese in the communes of Chianti in recent times. Though there has been a swing back to autochthonous varieties for this purpose, as the flavours can jar and mask the true character of Chianti, they do, along with Cabernet Franc, meld particularly well with Sangiovese in neighbouring Carmignano. Taken as a group there is a not insignificant ...READ MORE

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

Though the principal grapes of Bordeaux are sometimes snubbed as an internationalising influence on the wines of Italy, their influence is nothing new. Records reveal their presence back in the mid to late 1800s in Piedmont, Friuli and the Veneto, though perhaps today the finest expressions come from Tuscany, in particular Bolgheri. Cabernet Sauvignon (pictured) and Merlot were typical inclusions in blends when ‘Super Tuscans’ dominated the scene, and often topped up Sangiovese in the communes of Chianti in recent times. Though there has been a swing back to autochthonous varieties for this purpose, as the flavours can jar and mask the true character of Chianti, they do, along with Cabernet Franc, meld particularly well with Sangiovese in neighbouring Carmignano. Taken as a group there is a not insignificant amount of these grapes grown across central and northern Italy, though the more compliant Merlot takes the lions share of the acreage. Lazio and Umbria probably follow the aforementioned as being the more successful areas for these grapes, with notable examples also coming from Campania. Cabernet Sauvignon has also had some modern success in Sicily, though it is hard to avoid the ‘international’ tag with most of the wines.

Carmenère

Carmenère is one of wine’s great imposters, masquerading as Merlot in Chile for over a hundred years, and Cabernet Franc in northern Italy for just as long. Still regarded by many Italian growers as a clone of Cabernet Franc it was genetically verified as Bordeaux’s nearly extinct Carmenère over a decade ago. Sharing Cabernet family characteristics, the wines often have dark berry and spice notes with deep colour and relatively soft tannins. 



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