Grape of the Week

Cabernet Sauvignon

About:

Cabernet is a complex grape that can be difficult to grow. It is ageing potential due to its naturally high acid and tannin. The wines can have a high intensity of fruit flavor but generally balanced out by herbal or “green” flavors. Higher quality wines tend to be aged in oak where lower quality wines will be aged in stainless steel with oak chips or oak staves to impart flavor.

Traditionally, Cab Sauv is full bodied with notes of dark fruit like black currant, blackberry, and the herbal or grassy notes like cedar, tomato leaf, and spices from oak like vanilla. The wine will have high tannins (the drying sensation) with enough acid to help support the fruit forward characteristics.

Origination:

Cab Sauv originated in Bordeaux during the 1600s as an accidental crossing between the red grape, Cabernet Franc and the white grape Sauvignon Blanc. DNA testing at UC Davis only discovered this relationship in 1996.  

Who’s famous for it?

Cab Sauv is a true globetrotter, one of the most widely planted grapes in the world. It’s famously planted in the Bordeaux region - the Cab Sauv dominant blends are located on the “Left Bank”, and we can thank Bordeaux for Cab Sauv’s rapid expansion as the region does an excellent job marketing its wines. The wines will generally be earthier and spicier with firmer tannins than most other Cab producing regions.

Chile has a perfect soil and climatic conditions for growing. Compare to Bordeaux, Chilean Cabs have fuller body and softer tannins, which makes them more approachable in their youth. There are also spicier notes on the palate, making Chilean Cabernet more exotic. Some of my favorite Bordeaux style blends are coming from Vik in Cachapoal Valley.

Italy uses Cab in their Super Tuscan blends. A Super Tuscan is a term used to describe red wines from Tuscany that may include non-indigenous grapes. Some major ones include Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello.

Australian Cab is recognized by its unique menthol characteristic, likely attributed to the vines being planted near Eucalyptus trees. Some of the best wines come from Coonawarra.

Let’s not forget Napa Cabs. Home to many wines regarded as ‘cult bottles’, elevated to a status that rivals Bordeaux. Compared to it’s French counterpart, the wines are much richer and more fruit forward, with overt notes of vanilla.

China is perhaps the most interesting wine region, with Cab emerging as the star. Many of the largest brands are purchasing land in China to grow grapes. I had the fortune of trying wine from LVMH’s Chinese winery called Ao Yun, where grapes are grown in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains in the Yunnan Province.

Pairing:

Pair the wine with rich meats like grilled steak and roast pork, but the cooler climate Cabs can also pair well with roasted veggies like red pepper, spinach and eggplant.