Both cabernet varieties are among the five major grapes of Bordeaux. The differences between franc and sauvignon become apparent when grown and fermented in close proximity.
Yields are similar, although cabernet franc normally buds and ripens somewhat earlier.
Consequently vineyards in climates where rain is a harvest-time threat often plant this grape, rather than or in addition to cabernet sauvignon. France has by far the most cabernet franc plantings of any wine producing nation with over 35,000 acres. New plantings in the 1990s in Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina show promise. In the United States, cabernet franc is planted in Long Island, New York, and in Washington state. California has about 2,000 acres, mostly planted since 1980, over half in Napa and Sonoma.