Cabernet Variety Definition Adrianne Dow Young

From amicable table wines to cherished heirlooms, the titan of any wine collection will include a Cabernet Sauvignon blend. The Noble red grape varietal showed up in Bordeaux in the late 1700s and has stayed in the limelight, adding bright, jammy notes and tannin structure to blends from the region ever since. It is featured alongside Sangiovese to make Super Tuscans and makes for weighty bottles of South Australia’s iconic Shiraz blend.

A medium to full-bodied wine, Cabernet Sauvignon’s color ranges from opaque dark red to deep crimson with hues of blue – a hallmark of cooler climate vineyards. Young Cabernet Sauvignon blends can appear opaque in the glass – especially those from warm climates or if the juice had been left on the skins for extended maceration. As the wine ages, the color that the Cabernet Sauvignon wine imparts will lighten and, as the PH diminishes, evolve into a rich, warm brick-red.

Noted for its ability to age in new oak, Cabernet Sauvignon is used to add complexity and back flavors to a blended wine. Replete with the aromatic compound methoxypyrazine, which is also found in unripe pepper, Cabernet Sauvignon blends offer aromas that range from black currant and chocolate to green pepper and mint.

Cooler climate vineyards, like those out of Bordeaux and Washington State, produce a Cabernet Sauvignon juice that is lighter in color, and it is often blended with Merlot and other earlier ripening varietals. In Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon thrives in red clay soil and under the hot sun, and just-pressed juice is dark with black plum and marries well with Shiraz.

Regardless of its climate, the varietal’s willingness to be maintained allows for the kind of balanced vines that produce the finest bottles. In the vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon ducks every reasonable peril a growing season can throw at it, making it a valuable and trusted crop around the world.

Since region and climate play such a part in the red grape’s flavor characteristics, there is a wide variety of Cabernet Sauvignons in the world to try. California’s North Coast AVA wines showcase blackberry and pencil-lead, while Chile’s Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon blends provide cassis and chocolate. Not native to Tuscany, Cabernet Sauvignon shouldered its way to stardom in Italy when it was first commercially blended in the 1970s. Super Tuscans have been making unforgettable wine moments ever since.

Are you searching for a collectible Cabernet Sauvignon blend or an end-of-the-day sipper? Find the perfect bottle with Wine Enthusiast’s many expert reviews. Compare growing regions, winemaking styles, and Cabernet Blends. Find more information and details about highly collectible bottles from Napa Valley, or just enough information on a great deal from Chile in Wine Enthusiast’s wine buying guide.