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Cabernet Sauvignon, colloquially known as 'Cab Sav' or even just 'Cab', is one of the most famous and popular red wine grape varieties on Earth. Having originated in the Medoc, the vine has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world, including newer viticultural countries such as Australia, Chile, South Africa, the United States and New Zealand.
Cabernet Sauvignon can be grown successfully in a wide variety of environments, but will still be very expressive of its terroir. It is often associated with aromas of black currants and green bell-pepper. However, Old World growing regions in Europe are more likely to produce wines with expressions of dark fruit (cassis) when young, and which develop animal (such as leather) flavors as they age. New World producers, meanwhile, have found variable expressions of the grape, with brighter flavors being produced in cool-climate conditions, but rich and ripe characteristics in warmer areas.
Some will refer to mint and eucalyptus as the classic secondary notes, while others have identified coffee and chocolate. The wine's spicy character has been described as cedar, mahogany, vanilla and coconut, depending largely on the type of oak used in the winemaking, and the time the wine is exposed to it.
The growing conditions of Cabernet Sauvignon are often revealed in the tannins. The best regions achieve a high concentration, which can be balanced in the winemaking process to create a dense, but refined, mouth sensation. Cabernet is often used to give blends a tannic backbone. The acid levels may vary greatly, but typically sit around the medium-high end of the spectrum. The combination of high tannins and acids makes Cabernet Sauvignon very suitable for ageing.
Californian researchers confirmed Cabernet Sauvignon's DNA as a natural crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, only in 1997. Most wine authorities agree the crossing happened in the last few centuries, which makes the variety's fame particularly impressive.
There are numerous explanations for Cabernet Sauvignon's current dominance. It can be grown at a range of different altitudes, from 50 degrees north, as in Okanagen in Canada, to 20 degrees south, as in northern Argentina. It's a variety that can adapt to a diverse range of soil types, from the Pessac-Leognan gravels in France to the iron-rich soils of Terra Rossa of Coonawarra, Australia. And yet, while it is extremely adaptable, Cabernet Sauvignon retains its inimitable 'Cab' character – nuanced, in the best examples, by the area in which is grown and the style in which it is made.
Nowadays, its popularity has much to do with its reputation; the familiarity and corresponding marketability of the name, Cabernet Sauvignon, has become irresistible to wine companies looking for a reliable return on their investment.
Cabernet Sauvignon is frequently used as a varietal in blend wines. Common partners include Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. In Australia, it is frequently paired with Shiraz (Syrah), and in Spain and South America with Tempranillo. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are generally softened with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Sauvignon has even made its way into such established and traditional Italian names such as Chianti and Carmignano (although restricted to 15% of the permitted blend), evidence that even the oldest and most traditional wine institutions now recognize the value of this famous grape.
Cabernet Sauvignon has a vigorous vine (another of the variety's virtues), that produces relatively high yields and a dense canopy. Vineyard management is an important part of growing the vine successfully. Producers often have a choice between quantity and quality, although in exceptional vintages they may get both. As a late-flowering and late-ripening variety, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes mature slowly. In a cold season or climate there is a risk the grapes will fail to ripen fully, but in most conditions the grape's steady progress offers producers a wide window for harvest dates.
It is widely accepted that the finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon wine are found in Bordeaux and California, but in the past two decades a raft of quality Cabernets have been produced in New World regions such as Maipo in Chile, and Coonawarra in Australia. These are gaining an increasingly broad consumer base as the world's more famous Cabernet Sauvignons become prohibitively expensive.
Popular blends include: Bordeaux blend, Meritage, Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, Cabernets Franc & Sauvignon, Cabernet-Merlot-Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz, Cabernet- Tempranillo
Synonyms include: Bouche, Bouchet, Sauvignon Rouge, Vidure
Related grape varieties include: Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc
Food matches include:
Europe – Steak au poivre, steak aux champignons
America – Slow cooked beef, Texas barbeque
Asia – Korean short ribs, peppered Ahi tuna
Australasia – Rosemary roasted lamb with red currant jelly
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