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the best! It is responsible for making wine that all of the Collectors and
Critics clamor and fuss over year in and year out. It has been touted by
said critics and winemakers alike as the “King of all Wine Grapes”.
Favorite wine styles come and go, like Burgundy in the 70’s and Merlot
in 80’s, but the one wine style that people never get tired of is Cabernet
Sauvignon, the noblest of all the noble grapes.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the varietal that white-wine-only drinkers drink
and say, “Ewe! Too thick and tannic! I’ll stick to my Chardonnay!” and
makes the red-wine-only drinkers say, “This white wine is feeble stuff
next to my bold Cabernet!” Go ahead and fall in love with it. It is
extremely powerful and the aromas are very masculine and yet sensual
at the same time. It is a wine style that shows very distinct regional
characteristics, that is to say, it’s taste and flavors are shaped by the
part of the world in which it hails. From the earthy, leafy vegetative and
smoky tobacco filled Young Cabernet from Bordeaux, France, to the mint
laden and bell pepper overtones of Chile, South America and the heavily
tannic, woodsy flavored cherry and dark berry spice examples of Napa,
California. Wherever it is made, Cabernet Sauvignon makes it’s
presence known.
In Europe, Spain and Italy to be exact, there has always been a strong
resistance to plant any wine varietals (wine grape styles) that are already
prominent in other countries. In this case, France. I can’t blame them
for this thought process, after all, this makes each country’s wines
unique. However, after years of resistance, even Spain and Italy started
planting Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and selling their wines in droves.
Indeed Spain and Italy make fine examples of Cabernet Sauvignon, as do
other countries like Australia, Chile and South Africa, but seriously folks,
no place on earth makes Cabernet Sauvignon as rich or powerful and as
highly sought after as the ones made in Bordeaux, France and Napa,
California. The irony here to me is that the Cabernet Sauvignon made in
Bordeaux and the wines made in Napa couldn’t be more utterly different
in style and taste.
Bordeaux wines have this inherit earthiness to them that mellows out
over time, the best taking decades to mature, while the Cabs from Napa
have big mouth puckering tannins upfront that hit you like a hammer.
Some people really like that sensation and choose to drink Napa Cabs
while they are still young, roughly three to five years old. The best
examples from Napa do get better with age, seven to fifteen years.
However, if you just bought a 2000 Bordeaux Cab from one of the better
Chateau’s, you would have to be a certifiable Looney-bin occupant to
drink it early. Old Bordeaux wines are a thing of beauty and
unfortunately for most of us, a once in a lifetime experience.
In general, Cabernet Sauvignon that comes from warmer wine regions,
like California, take on more of a fruitier style of wine with lower acidity
levels and a fuller body. Cabs made in cooler wine regions take on a
more vegetative or herbal quality with a more pronounced level of acidity
and a medium body. Bordeaux, France offers a little of both climates,
which it uses to its benefit in making rich and complex Cabernet wines.
In all fairness, I should mention that Bordeaux wines from the Left Bank
are really a blend of up to five wine grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, but make no mistake,
they are mostly made up of Cabernet Sauvignon and it is really good!
Some of these Bordeaux Cabs make up the most famous and highly
sought after wines in the world, especially the First Growths; Chateau
Margaux, Lafite Rothschild, Mouten Rothschild, Chateau La Tour and
Haut Brion. These wines are regarded as the best of the best in the
world.
In California, the law dictates that in order for a wine to be named after
the varietal, i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine must contain at least 75%
of that wine in the blend. So California Cabs are too mostly Cabernet
Sauvignon. In California the blends are usually made up of mostly
Cabernet Sauvignon with maybe a little Merlot, Cab Franc, or believe it
or not, Red Zinfandel. Napa is also famous for some Cult Cabernet
wines from the likes of Silver Oaks, Joseph Phelps, Screaming Eagle,
Harlan Estate and Far Niente, etc… that fetch big prices in the wine
auction arena.
Now if you have read this far, you have got to be a little curious as to
what Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and the wines they make have that
other grape varietals don’t. What makes these wines so special that they
become powerful tannic monsters? Some Bordeaux Cabs are still
drinking wonderfully even after 50 years of age in the bottle. Why do
they have such strong flavors that appeal to so many wine snobs and
rookies alike? The secret I tell you, is in their skins. Quite literally!
Cab grapes are actually small when compared to other grape varieties
like Pinot Noir, Merlot, etc… Small, you say? How would that help?
Well aside from being smaller than some of the other wine grapes, their
skin is very thick and tannins come mostly from grape skins, as well as
other matter like stems, leaves etc… The flesh of the grape or juice
inside, vs. the amount of skin on Cabernet grapes is more evenly
balanced than others so that when you are making wine from them, more
flavors and tannins are extracted into the wine. It’s really that simple!
Even if Cabernet Sauvignon is not your favorite style of wine, if you’re a
red-wine drinker you cannot deny that Cabs are at the pinnacle of the red
wine spectrum. How can you resist all of those flavors? Rich fruits like
cherry, black cherry, blackberry, cassis, blueberry or herbal flavors like
green olives, bell pepper, eucalyptus, bay leaf and mushrooms. And let’s
not forget the heavenly fragrant aromas and those exquisite tastes of
chocolate, vanilla, cedar, mint, tobacco, leather and oak. Yum, yum!
With this myriad of flavor profiles, it’s no wonder Cabernet Sauvignon
appeals to so many wine drinkers both young and old alike.
If you are someone that feels Cabernet Sauvignon is just not your cup of
tea, because you have difficulty getting past all of the tannins or don’t
like full-bodied reds, I have a challenge for you. Get a decent Cab and
hold on to it for a couple of years. After about five years from the
vintage date, say a 1999, which is a good vintage for Cabs in California,
and now that it is 2004, go ahead and open it, but be sure to give it a little
time to breathe, preferably in a decanter. By the way, don’t think that
just because you open the bottle ahead of time that the wine has been
able to breathe. There is not enough airspace in the neck of the bottle to
let the wine breathe properly. If you don’t have a decanter, then pour
some in a glass and let it sit there for about twenty minutes or so before
you drink it. Once it has had time to open up and those aggressive
tannins have faded a bit, give it a good swirl, dip your nose into it and
breathe it in. Take a moment to ponder over all of the sensations that
come over you. Then go ahead and take a sip! What do you think? I’ll
bet we have just converted you into a Cabernet Sauvignon drinker!
Now try this little experiment with someone special in front of a warm
fireplace and let me know how it turns out! Maybe you shouldn’t share
all of the details!
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