Blog Post

Varietal of the Month: Cabernet Sauvignon

Last Updated: July 19, 2024

The incredible history of Cabernet Sauvignon started in the seventeenth century in the southwest of France, when an accidental breeding ensued between a Red Cabernet Franc grape vine and a Sauvignon Blanc grape vine.

Cabernet Sauvignon is only a red wine variety, found originally in Médoc region in southwest of France.

This multipurpose variety adapts itself to many different areas and terroirs, and makes of Cabernet Sauvignon the most planted grape variety in the world. You can locate Cabernet Sauvignon variety from France to Chile, USA, Australia or Spain, China, Argentina and Italy without forgetting South Africa.

If we can find this vine all around the world, it’s thanks to the tremendous resistance of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. One of the main feature is the late harvest coming from the grape resistance.

Untitled-1-10-1

Cabernet Sauvignon facts:

⦁ It’s a delightful wine served at 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Poured at this temperature, the Cabernet Sauvignon wines are tannic and full bodied, you can find spicy flavors. After few years’ preservation this wine will reveal a beautiful aromatic richness from black fruit note like raspberry and violet with persistence flavors in mouth.

⦁ Cabernet Sauvignon can also be aged in oak casks, which softened the tannin and brought vanilla and cigar aromas.

⦁ As a resistant wine grape you can plant it everywhere around the world, but it prefers draining and graveling land with a good sun orientation like Aquitaine region in France which is a temperate area.

⦁ This variety has different favorite climates which permit an unequaled range of expressions according to the area features it grow up.

⦁ France is the world’s biggest Cabernet producers but as we saw before it can adapt to different regions, that is why we find it all around the world with an important production in Chile, USA, especially in California and also in Australia, New Zealand and Spain.

Cabernet Sauvignon pairings:

With its robustness and full-bodied flavors, Cabernet Sauvignon is exceptional to pair with “powerful” dishes with structure like prime rib of beef, or game. For example, all the red meat is always compatible with the wines resulting from Cabernet Sauvignon. It can perfectly be granted with barbecued meat like beef ribs, sauce dishes or dishes with spicy ingredient like ginger.

The wealth of Cabernet can also be used for raise bland fruits and vegetable dishes as figs, eggplant or zucchini. Its natural strength taste, makes of it your best friend with a large range of dishes from spicy meat or fresh fish with hard taste to dishes with bland fruit or vegetables to put an intense pairing.

Must-try Cabernet Sauvignon:

2013 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, Australia ($40)

Winemaker Notes: At the first view, the wine color is medium deep ruby red. On the nose, the complex perfumes of blue-black small berry fruit, river stone and orange pith. A smooth plush entry leads into juicy mouth-watering acidity and following is a blanket of fine powdery cuddly tannin, drying but not overpowering. This wine is perfectly accorded with lighter meat dishes.

Untitled-1-11

2012 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino, Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon – Tuscany, Italy ($65)

Winemaker Notes: Like the Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon presented before, we noticed at the first view, deep ruby red color. Elegant and powerful at the same time with inviting perfumes of red berries and clean freshness, complex and balanced. It presents a good concentration on the mid-palate and a persistent aftertaste, with a rounded and voluptuous body, and interesting, silky tannins.

Brunello goes very well with red meats, homemade pasta with wild boar sauce, medium seasoned cheese.

Untitled-1-12-1

2013 Hal Ellie’s Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley, California, USA ($78)

Winemaker Notes: Ellie’s is dense garnet in color, with lifted aromas of cassis, fresh blackberry, violets, earth, black olive, black pepper, and high tone barrel spices of cinnamon. The seamless palate is fresh, elegant, lengthy, earth, and chocolatey. The wine finishes full of energy with a balanced wash of acidity. A perfect pairing for roast leg of lamb.

Untitled-1-13

2010 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Chateauneuf-du-Pape – Rhone, France ($110)

Winemaker Notes: With a deep red color, this wine is one of the most appreciate in France. On the nose, we can find raspberry confiture and melted black licorice all folding together. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, edgy and concentrated, with building tannin.

Untitled-1-14

2014 Maybach Materium Cabernet Sauvignon – Oakville, Napa Valley, California ($189)

Winemaker Notes: This opulent wine with beautiful color and extraordinary fragrance on the nose, from blueberry, blackberry, truffle and smoky notes. This experience is followed by a thick, unctuously textured, juicy, but incredibly well-balanced, intense wine. This is built like a skyscraper with enormous quantities of blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit, well-integrated acidity and sweet, gentle tannins make of this wine a must-try.

Untitled-1-15-1
CTA_Designed-8

About Wineemotion

Wine dispensers by Wineemotion™ USA are the perfect complement to any wine-by-the-glass program. Wineemotion™ is the creation of Riccardo Gosi, the internationally renowned creator of modern day wine dispensing systems that have transformed how wine is sold and served worldwide since 2003. Our patented wine dispenser technology eliminates cross aromatic contamination, preserves wine for over 30 days and increases profit by optimizing your wine-by-the-glass program.

logo-no-box-1024x191-300x56-4