Paso Robles Wine Guides

Why Cabernet Franc Thrives in Paso Robles

Cabernet Franc is the grape we built our house on, so forgive us a little bias. Most people know it as one of Cabernet Sauvignon’s parents, or as a blending grape in Bordeaux. In Paso Robles it deserves top billing. It ripens fully here without losing the floral, peppery lift that makes it interesting. Here is why, and what to look for when you taste it.

By Neeta & Kunal Mittal  ·  LXV Wine, Willow Creek District, Paso Robles  ·  Updated November 2026

Cabernet Franc needs ripeness without losing its perfume

Cabernet Franc is all about balance. Pick it too early and it tastes green and lean. Pick it too late and you lose the floral lift and freshness that make it worth growing. Paso Robles gives it plenty of sun for flavor, and the cool nights in much of the region protect the acidity and the aromatics.

Diurnal shift protects freshness

Paso Robles can swing a long way between afternoon and night, and that swing is one of the best things about growing grapes here. Warm afternoons push the fruit toward ripeness. Cool nights slow everything down and hold on to the acidity. For Cabernet Franc that means ripe red and dark fruit together with violet, dried herb, pepper, graphite and a savory edge, instead of plain sweetness.

Site matters enormously

Paso Robles is not one climate. It has eleven official sub-districts and plenty of microclimates inside them. A warmer site gives you plum, black cherry and a broader texture. A cooler, windier site like the Willow Creek District gives you red fruit, herbs, flowers and a firmer frame. Limestone soils tend to add tension and shape. Neither style is better. They are different wines from the same grape.

Cabernet Franc at the table

One reason Cabernet Franc keeps getting more popular is how easy it is to cook for. It has enough tannin for lamb or beef, and its herbal, floral side is just as happy with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, lentils, grilled vegetables and spice-driven cooking. It is lighter on its feet than Cabernet Sauvignon, and far more flexible at dinner.

How spice reveals Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is made for aromatic pairing. Coriander picks up its citrus and herb. Black pepper brings the savory edge forward. Sumac sharpens the red fruit, and fennel or cardamom pull out the floral side. In our tasting we change one thing at a time. Same Cab Franc, first on its own, then with a spice, then again. Try it at home. It works with any good Cab Franc, not just ours.

What to look for in a Paso Robles Cabernet Franc

Look for balance between fruit and savory flavors, tannin that gives shape without taking over, and enough acidity to keep the finish fresh. Ask whether the wine is from a single vineyard or part of a blend, how much new oak went into it, and what the winemaker was trying to protect. Perfume, structure and richness all pull in different directions.

A grape with a growing identity

Paso Robles made its name on Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhône varieties, but Cabernet Franc keeps getting more attention because it shows its site so clearly. The best ones are not smaller Cabernet Sauvignons. They are fragrant, layered wines with a rhythm of their own. Decanter named our 2023 MESO Cabernet Franc the best red wine from Paso Robles for the 2023 vintage. We took that as a win for the grape as much as for us.

Our own Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is the grape our house is built on, from Kunal’s first glass of Saint-Émilion to our own block at Armaa.N, which gave its first harvest in 2022. The whole story, and every Cabernet Franc we make, is on our Cabernet Franc page.

Who makes Cabernet Franc in Paso Robles

Kunal and I are often asked which other wineries to try, and we answer gladly. A region earns a reputation for a grape together, not one tasting room at a time. These are the Paso Robles producers pouring Cabernet Franc that we would put on a table next to ours, most of them familiar faces from Cab Franc Masters, the event we host every December.

• Adelaida Vineyards & Winery — limestone hillsides in the Adelaida District; tension and shape.
• Ancient Peaks — Santa Margarita Ranch, in the cool south of the appellation, so the herbs and red fruit stay bright.
• DAOU — the mountain. Dark fruit, polish, scale.
• J. Lohr — a long record with Bordeaux varieties on the east side.
• JUSTIN — Cabernet Franc as a blending partner in Isosceles and on its own.
• Austin Hope — a riper, generous reading of the grape.
• Robert Hall — east of town; approachable and savory.
• Brecon Estate — Adelaida District; small lots, firm structure.
• Dracaena Wines — a house built on Cabernet Franc, as we are.
• Field Recordings — site-driven, one vineyard at a time.
• Le Vigne — estate fruit, old-world leanings.
• Tobin James — the opposite of shy.
• Union Sacré — Alsace and Loire ideas in a Paso Robles accent.
• Villa San-Juliette — plush and dark.
• Paris Valley Road — estate-grown Cab Franc.
• Absolution Cellars, AO Winery, Arndt Cellars and Mid Point — smaller houses that pour at Cab Franc Masters and are worth the detour.
• LXV Wine — ours. Willow Creek District fruit, a Reserve Cabernet Franc raised the way Saint-Émilion taught us, a Blanc de Franc, and a Cabernet Franc rosé for the spring.

That is more than twenty producers of one grape in one appellation, and the list keeps growing.

Cab Franc Masters: the Cabernet Franc event in Paso Robles

Every December we bring the appellation’s Cabernet Franc into one room. Cab Franc Masters is the fourth year running in 2026: Sunday, December 6, 2026, at the Cass Event Center, 7350 Linne Road, Paso Robles. Morning seminars led by the winemakers, a tasting of Cabernet Franc from around the world so you can hear the Paso Robles accent clearly, food pairings, then a grand tasting with 25 or more Paso Robles Cabernet Francs poured by the people who made them. Tickets start at $85 for the grand tasting and $125 for the full day.

We organize it, and more than twenty wineries make it what it is. Riedel and Travel Paso have stood with us as partners. If you want to understand this grape in this place in a single afternoon, this is the afternoon. The program, wineries and tickets are at cabfrancmasters.com.

Cabernet Franc in Paso Robles: your questions

Is Paso Robles known for Cabernet Franc?

Increasingly, yes. Cabernet Sauvignon and the Rhône grapes built the reputation, but more than twenty Paso Robles wineries now bottle Cabernet Franc on its own, and the appellation has had its own Cabernet Franc event, Cab Franc Masters, since 2023. The grape ripens here without losing its perfume, which is the whole argument.

Which Paso Robles wineries specialize in Cabernet Franc?

LXV and Dracaena are the two houses built around the grape. Adelaida, Ancient Peaks, Brecon Estate, Field Recordings, Union Sacré and Le Vigne make serious bottlings alongside their other wines, and DAOU, JUSTIN, J. Lohr, Austin Hope and Robert Hall each pour one. The list above links to every one of them.

Where can I taste Cabernet Franc in Paso Robles?

At our downtown tasting room, where the seated A Study in Cabernet Franc tasting pours our Cabernet Francs side by side with spice pairings; at any of the producers named above; and once a year at Cab Franc Masters, where 25 or more Paso Robles Cabernet Francs are on one floor.

What does Paso Robles Cabernet Franc taste like?

Ripe red and black fruit with violets, dried herbs, black pepper and a graphite, savory edge. Warmer sites give plum and a broader texture; cooler, wind-brushed sites give red fruit, florals and firmer tannin. The night-time cold is what keeps it fresh.

What food goes with Cabernet Franc?

Lamb and beef for the tannin, but the grape’s herbal side is just as happy with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, lentils and anything cooked with coriander, black pepper, sumac or fennel. It is the most sociable red we make.

When is Cab Franc Masters?

Sunday, December 6, 2026, at the Cass Event Center in Paso Robles. Seminars in the morning, the grand tasting in the afternoon. Tickets and the winery list are at cabfrancmasters.com.