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Cabernet Franc (Red) [cab-er-NAY FRANK]

As a varietal wine, it usually benefits from small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and can be as intense and full-bodied as either of these wines. At its worst, it strays away from currant and berry notes into stalky green flavors that become more pronounced with age. On a brighter note, the most successful Cabernet Franc wines exhibit chocolate and roasted coffee tones as well as rich uplifting fruit.

 

Cabernet Sauvignon (Red) [cab-er-NAY SO- vin-yon]

The undisputed king of red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon is a remarkably steady and consistent performer through much of the world. While it grows well in many countries, in specific appellations it is capable of rendering wines of uncommon depth, richness, concentration and longevity. Bordeaux has used the grape consistently since the 18th century, always blending it with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and sometimes a soupcon of Petite Verdot and Malbec. The Bordeaux model is built around not only the desire to craft complex wines, but also the need to ensure that different grape varieties ripen at different intervals and to give lesser wines color, tannin, or backbone.

Cabernet Sauvignon's classic flavors are blackberry, currant, plum, black cherry and spice. It can also be marked by herb, olive, mint, tobacco, cedar and anise as well as ripe, jammy notes. In warmer areas, it can be supple and elegant; in cooler areas, it can be marked by pronounced vegetal, bell pepper, oregano and tar flavors (a late ripener, it can not always be relied upon in cool areas, which is why Germany, for example, has never succumbed to the lure). It can also be very tannic, which is why it produces many of the world's longest lived wines. The best Cabernets always start out dark ruby or purple in color, with firm acidity, a full body, great intensity, concentrated flavors, and firm tannins.

Carignan (Red) [karin-YAN]

This varietal is also known as Carignane (California) or Cirnano (Italy). Once a major blending grape for jug wines, Carignan' s popularity has diminished, and plantings in California have dropped from 25,111 acres in 1980 to 8,832 in 1994. It still appears in some blends, and old vineyards are sought after for the intensity of their grapes, especially in France's Languedoc - the grapes ancestral home. Elsewhere, the likelihood is that other grapes with even more intensity and flavor will replace it in the future.

 

Charbono (Red) [SHAR-bono]

Found mainly in California, this grape has dwindled in acreage. Its stature as a wine in California was supported mainly by a few notable producers, who up until the 1970's regularly bottled it as a varietal. The better examples could age quite well. A few wineries still produce it, but the grape's story and relative rarity are usually more interesting than the wines it produces.

Chardonnay (White) [shar-dun-NAY]

If Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of reds, Chardonnay is the king of white wines, for it makes consistently excellent, rich, and complex whites. This is an amazing, versatile grape that grows well in a variety of locations throughout the world. In Burgundy, it is used for all of that appellations exquisite whites, such as Montrachet, Meursault, Pouilly-Fuisse, and true Chablis; in Champagne, it is the sole player in Blanc de Blancs Champagnes and an integral part of nearly all of Champagne's sparkling wines. Among the many other countries that have caught Chardonnay fever, Australia and the United States have been the most consistent in fashioning top notch offerings.

When well made, Chardonnay offers bold, ripe, rich and intense fruit flavors of apple, fig, melon, pear, pineapple, lemon and grapefruit, along with spice, honey, butter, butterscotch and hazelnut flavors. Winemakers build more complexity into this easy-to-manipulate wine using common vinification techniques; barrel fermentation, sur lie aging during which the wine is left on its natural sediment, and malolactic fermentation (a process that converts tart malic acid to softer lactic acid). No other white table wine benefits as much from oak aging or barrel fermentation. Chardonnay grapes have a fairly neutral flavor, and because they are usually crushed or pressed and not fermented with their skins the way red wines are, whatever flavors emerge from the grape are extracted almost instantly after crushing. Hence, winemakers love to strut their stuff with this varietal.

Chenin Blanc (White) [SHEN'N BLAHNK]

This native of the Loire valley has two personalities: at home it is the basis of such famous, long lived wines as Vouvray and Anjou, Quarts de Chaume and Saumur, but on other soils it becomes just a very good blending grape. It is South Africa's most-planted grape, although there it is called Steen, and in both South Africa and in California it is currently used primarily as a blending grape for generic table wines. Chenin Blanc should perform better in California, and someday it may. It can yield a pleasant enough wine, with subtle melon, peach, spice and citrus notes. The great Loire whites vary from dry and fresh to sweet, depending on the vintage and the producer. In South Africa, Chenin Blanc is used for fortified wines and spirits as well as table wines.

Dolcetto (Red) [dole-CHET-to]

Almost exclusive to the Piedmont of Italy, this varietal produces soft, round, fruity wines that are fragrant with licorice and almonds. It is best drunk within three years. It's used as a safety net for producers of Piedmont's Nebbiolo and Barbera wines, which take much longer to age. There are seven DOC's: Acqui, Alba, Asti, Dinao d' Alba, Dogliani, Langhe Monregalesi and Ovada.