Cabernet Sauvigon: wines with distinctive character
Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be distinguished by their typical aroma and cassis bouquet. These wines can usually also be identified by their deep, dark red colour and exhibit a texture supported by tannins and balanced acidity. Cabernet Sauvignon is also unique in that it retains its unmistakable characteristics even outside its native origins – almost completely independent of soil and climate conditions.
The Cabernet Sauvignon Bouquet
Due to their underlying tannins, young Cabernet Sauvignon wines taste slightly bitter and rough, and they are fruity with a strong aroma reminiscent of freshly cut wood. During maturation, a good Cabernet Sauvignon wine exhibits fine toasted notes, diverse dark berry notes, and sometimes even notes of green bell pepper and liquorice. When the Cabernet Sauvignon grape is allowed to fully ripen, it produces complex wines rich in tannins with captivating, delicate aromas.
Cabernet Sauvignon – world-class wine
The international success of Cabernet Sauvignon is closely intertwined with the Bordeaux winegrowing region, although it is seldom produced as a varietal wine there. It is typically blended with Cabernet Franc or Merlot grapes, and to a lesser extent with the Petit Verdot.
Since the 1960s at the latest, vintners all over the world have been trying to reproduce the straightforward yet not too heavy structure and high complexity of a typical Bordeaux wine.
The best varietal Cabernet Sauvignon wines are arguably produced in Tuscany and California. Varietal production is considered the epitome of the Art of Cabernet Sauvignon, and thus encourages the creation of world-class wines.