Cabernet Sauvignon
For a wine that has consistently captivated audiences around the world, you would expect Cabernet Sauvignon (Cab, for short) to have a long, illustrious history. Quite the opposite is true. In fact, the grape has been around for fewer than six hundred years, which, in wine terms, is not long. Recent genetic studies have revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon is really the off-spring of the much older Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc varieties.
One Tough Customer
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are small, black, and very tough-skinned. The thick skins make Cabernet grapes fairly resistant to disease and capable of withstanding hard autumn rains, which is a good thing because the grapes ripen late. The skins are also what give the wine its hard tannins.
Cab grapes are adaptable and can grow in almost any climate that's not too cool. They grow in most major wine-producing regions of the world. Even in Spain and Italy, where local grapes have dominated the landscape for centuries, Cabernet is being planted and used in nontraditional blends.
Some Napa Valley Cabernets have reached “cult” status. They're made in extremely small quantities and are sold almost exclusively by mailing list. When you find one for resale on the open market, you can pay thousands. Some of these elite wineries are Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, Grace Family Vineyard, Dalla Valle Vineyards, Bryant Family Vineyard, Araujo Estate Wines, and Colgin Cellars.
The planting of Cabernet Sauvignon got a real jump-start in the late 1800s when it was used to replant the vineyards of Europe that had been ravaged by phylloxera. It became the primary grape of the famous Bordeaux blends from the Médoc, but its popularity has spread around the world. California is particularly suited to the grape, and its Cabs can command enormous prices.
The Wines
Because of their often harsh tannins, young Cabernets require quite a bit of aging, first in oak barrels and later in bottles. Cabernets reward patience with velvety tannins and extraordinary complexity. Serious Cabs can age for fifteen years or more. Typical tasting notes on young Cabernets praise their black currant, dark berry, chocolate, and spice flavors. Older vintages are often described as having a taste of tobacco, cedar, smoke, and earth.
While 100 percent Cabernet wines are made (many in California), the trend seems to be toward blending. Bordeaux has always blended its Cabernet wine with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and/or Malbec. Merlot and Cabernet Franc, in particular, add a soft fruit finish.
In Australia, Shiraz is added to the Cabernet, giving the wine a somewhat peppery flavor. In Italy winemakers have introduced Cabernet to their Sangiovese-based wines, producing a new breed of wine referred to as “Super Tuscans.” In Spain Cabernet is blended with the native Tempranillo.
A SAMPLING OF GREAT CABERNET SAUVIGNONS
Bodegas Catena Zapata Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza, Argentina)
HdV “La Belle Cousine” Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot (Napa Valley, California)
Chateau Lynch-Bages, (Pauillac, Bordeaux France)
