What to Look For in a Cabernet Sauvignon

Known as the preeminent classic red grape. More than any other, cabernets have tremendous ranges of quality, and of structure, and maturity. It’s simply mind boggling that a wine, that is so often a bit angular and introverted when immature can metamorphose into a rich, and complex wine with several years’ of aging. Cabernet Sauvignons can be like the somewhat akward, the utterly unremarkable kid who grows up to be a Fullbright Scholar and sexy hot to boot.

Moreover, not all cabernet sauvignons have this ability, to be sure. Most moderately priced variations, such as those from Chile or France, are produced in a style that is intentionally modest.

Relatively soft and easy to drink, these cabernet lack structure, depth, and intense concentration of say, Chateau Latour from Bordeaux, Sassicaia from Italy, or Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select from California, but they can still possess cabernet charm.

Cabernet sauvignon’s aromas and flavors are so beguilling that you may come to think of them as the cynosures of red wine: blackberry, black currant, cassis, mint, eucalyptus, cedarwood, leather, and plum. These elements are then swirled in a delightful amalgam as the wine of ages. As a matter of fact, because of the grape’s unbeliveable fruit and linear structure, great cabernets need both oak and bottle aging to pull it into harmony.

Cheaply made cabernet sauvignon, like poorly produced sauvignon blanc, usually taste vegetal. Like a distasteful mixture of bell peppers and the water cabbage has been cooked in.

In the World of wines, the world’s most prized cabernets still come from the Medoc communes of Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac, and St.-Estephe in Bordeaux, where wines are ranked into growths, from First Growth, the most renowned, all the way down to Fifth Growth. However, world-class cabernets are now regularly being made in California, Italy, and Australia; Washington State.

Cabernet Sauvignon is produced and made principally in: argentina; Australia; California; Chile; France; Hungary; Italy; New York State; New Zealand; South Africa; Texas; Virginia; and Washington State.

Discovering more about Cabernet Sauvignon, then visit Marc Mansco’s site on how to choose the best Cabernet Sauvignon Wine and Imported Wines for your next entertaining event.