Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted noble grape in the world. It is found in almost every wine region, but its name remains tied to the great reds of Bordeaux.
Small berries, great wines
Its berries are small, very dark, thick-skinned and full of seeds. The skins give the wines their deep colour; the skins and seeds give their abundant tannins. That is what allows the best Cabernets to age for a long time.
Cabernet Sauvignon ripens late, so it needs warmth at the end of the season, as in Bordeaux or California. In too cool a climate it struggles to ripen and takes on a green, bell-pepper character. No surprise: it was born from a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, two grapes that share that herbaceous note.
Aromas and style
Young Cabernet Sauvignon is structured and tannic, especially when aged in oak; a few years in the cellar soften it. Expect blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry, then, with age and oak, notes of cedar, tobacco, cigar box and coffee. Its style changes with the terroir: a Margaux and a Pauillac, though neighbours, are not alike.
Did you know? Cabernet Sauvignon is at the heart of the most prestigious appellations of Bordeaux’s Left Bank, such as Margaux and Pauillac.
Bordeaux
On the Left Bank, in the Médoc and Pessac-Léognan, Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blend, completed by Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The communes of Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe give benchmark expressions: dark, very tannic wines that can last for decades.
California
In California, and above all in Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship grape. Producers make both pure Cabernets and Bordeaux-style blends, some so-called “cult” wines reaching the prices of the first growths. Further north, Washington State and British Columbia also make very good ones.
Elsewhere in the world
In Italy, Bolgheri has made it a speciality. Australia handles it well in Margaret River and Coonawarra, and Spain allows it in some appellations, including Ribera del Duero. Chile, Argentina and South Africa also have large plantings.
The glass
A large Bordeaux-style glass, tall and wide, lets the tannins soften and the fruit open up. Try the Riedel Performance Cabernet glass.
