Why Napa Valley’s Cabernet Franc Is Having Its Moment Now

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If popular wine auction results are truly harbingers of pendulum swings in the world of wine, then Cabernet Franc is having a moment. One of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, it is not likely to fully take the place of its far-more-popular offspring any time soon based on quantities alone, but spiritually its time is now. That’s because something curious happened at Premiere Napa Valley’s 2026 barrel auction in February. A trade-only event at which retailers and restaurateurs bid on unique, limited-production wines, this year’s auction saw a higher average price per bottle for Cabernet Franc than for Cabernet Sauvignon. In Napa. Where Cabernet Sauvignon is king. Which got us scratching our heads and wanting to chase down what happened here.

While there is surprisingly more Cabernet Franc worldwide than one would expect—approximately 138,000 acres compared to 840,000 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, the planet’s most widely planted red variety—it doesn’t even fall into the top 15 most widely cultivated wine grapes. There is far less of it in Napa Valley than its parent, with 1,270 acres planted to Cab Franc and almost 25,000 to Cabernet Sauvignon, per the California Department of Food and Agriculture. But numbers alone don’t tell stories, especially when we’re talking about wine. Calling it “one of the world’s truly epic wine grapes,” Tyler Potts, beverage director at Press and Under-Study in St. Helena, is a strong proponent of the variety. With 52 different references of Napa Valley Cab Franc on his list, including bottles from Lang & Reed, Detert, and Ballentine, “It’s opulent like Cabernet Sauvignon, but can have a more savory and herbal edge,” he tells Robb Report. “It’s silky, elegant, and smells wonderful.”

Cabernet Franc may only be cultivated on 5 percent of the amount of Napa Valley vineyard land as that bearing Cabernet Sauvignon, but it accounted for 10 percent as many lots at PNV as Cabernet Sauvignon: 13 as compared to 129. With one-of-a-kind offerings from the likes of Inglenook, Crocker & Starr, Amici Cellars, Peju, Long Meadow Ranch, and a collaboration between Dakota Shy and Detert Family Vineyards, bidding was fierce on Cabernet Franc. Lots sold for an average wholesale price of $207 per bottle, while bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon fetched an average of $189. One buyer who is thrilled with his purchase is Dustin Cano, ownerof Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas and Santa Barbara, Calif. “I love Cabernet Franc because it brings brightness and energy that feels completely different from Cabernet Sauvignon,” he says, who bought 60 bottles of Arietta 2024 H Block Hudson Vineyards Cabernet Franc. “The grape naturally carries a beautiful acidity and a structural profile that’s more lifted and nuanced, which makes the wine feel thoughtful and layered.”

Jonathan Tyer, senior associate winemaker at Inglenook, thinks wine lovers are interested in Cabernet Franc because it’s somewhat different than big, bold Cabernet Sauvignons. “It tends to have great aromatics, freshness, and elegance while still having plenty of structure,” he says. “As consumers and the trade look for wines that are expressive but also balanced and drinkable, Cabernet Franc really stands out.” Inglenook’s 60 bottles of 2024 Gio Cabernet Franc hail from a single 1.26-acre Rutherford block planted in 1988; the wine is the first single-varietal Cabernet Franc that the winery has offered at Premiere Napa Valley, with Truffles Restaurant in Bloomington, Ind. purchasing the lot. “While we haven’t regularly produced Cabernet Franc in the past, the 2024 vintage was exceptional and so compelling that we decided to share it,” Tyer says. Going forward, there are plans to continue offering it in outstanding years.

The variety’s popularity at this year’s PNV shouldn’t have come as such a surprise to us. When we covered the event in 2023, we noted that we were “intrigued” by the single-varietal Cabernet Franc lots, which numbered 10 that year. While there were only five in 2017, since that time there have been between eight and 10 Cab Franc lots annually, trending upward to 12 in 2025 and 13 this year. “Cabernet Franc has been a hot ticket for several years now,” says Chester Cox, director of wine sales at Classic Wine Merchants in Texas. A PNV regular and the successful top bidder on 13 total lots this year including mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends, Cox set his sights on the 2024 Dakota Shy/Detert 2024 Oakville Legacy Cabernet Franc, which is a true unicorn wine. “Two of my favorite wineries in Napa Valley combining to make a wine together is magical,” Cox says. “The opportunity to get a one-of-a-kind wine that will never be made again from them was a chance I could not pass up.” That said, his love of Cabernet Franc runs deeper than an infatuation with a single bottling: “Cabernet Franc is versatile in so many ways. Complex yet delicate, it simply is perfection in a glass.”

The team at Amici Cellars put forth their 2024 Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Franc, which got snapped up by the Rutledge, a high-end restaurant with two locations in Tennessee. “The Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyards are known for their Cabernet Sauvignon, but most people do not know that there are a few rows of Cabernet Franc on the property,” says winemaker Tony Biagi. “This is a very rare wine.” While To Kalon Cabernet Franc is as rich and full bodied as his Cabernet Sauvignon from the same vineyard, at the same time it he says it is “intensely aromatic and more red-fruited, with elegant acidity.” For those of us who enjoy various styles of wine, it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition when it comes to the two Cabernets. As Tyler Potts points out, both are imbued with richness and warmth. On top of that, “they can share beautiful dark fruit and cooked herbal flavors.” But most important, “they often act as the instigator in the decision to open another bottle.”

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