Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon derives its fame from its long association with the Bordeaux region of France, where it has been grown at least since the 17th century. A black wine grape variety from Bordeaux, it is an ancient Bordeaux variety belonging to the Carmenets, a family of Bordeaux varieties whose name comes from the Latin carminium ('red'). The 1976 Judgment of Paris was a blind tasting that pitted the best Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux against the best Napa Cabernets, and the result gave countries outside Europe the confidence to nurture the variety.

• Synonyms include Petit Cabernet, Cabernet, Kabernet, Burdeos Tinto, Petit Vidoure, Vidure Sauvignon and Kaberne Sovinjon
• Cabernet cuttings were taken to South America long before the phylloxera pest struck, and the Chilean wine industry was built on the variety
• The Bordeaux blend approach, combining Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and/or Petit Verdot, has largely been adopted by New World winemakers
• The vine is late-budding with a long maturity period, small berries in small cylindrical-conical clusters, and particular susceptibility to grapevine trunk diseases (esca, eutypa, excoriose) and powdery mildew

Cabernet Sauvignon, a black-berried Vitis vinifera variety with VIVC variety number 1929, comes from France and is the progeny of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Its pedigree, Cabernet Franc x Sauvignon Blanc, is confirmed by markers, with Cabernet Franc as parent 1 and Sauvignon Blanc as parent 2. Two DNA studies published in 1997 support the cross. In Nature Genetics, John E. Bowers and Carole P. Meredith presented "microsatellite DNA evidence for the hypothesis that Cabernet Sauvignon is the progeny of two other Bordeaux cultivars, Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc", adding that "Likelihood ratios support this hypothesis to a very high degree of probability." In the journal Vitis, Kristina M. Sefc and co-authors genotyped 51 grapevine cultivars at 24 microsatellite loci and concluded: "Our data confirm the origin of Cabernet Sauvignon from a cross between Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc."

• Bowers and Meredith noted that a close relationship with Cabernet franc had been suspected, but that the genetic contribution of Sauvignon blanc, "despite its similar name, is a surprise"
• Merlot (prime name Merlot Noir) is a half-sibling: Cabernet Franc is also one of its two parents

Because it ripens late, Cabernet Sauvignon tends to produce wines with moderate alcohol levels, and its nose is highly aromatic, with layers of cassis, licorice and mint. Though not especially alcoholic, it can be extremely long-lived. Its thick, glossy skin and natural high acidity are supported on the palate by firm tannins. That longevity comes from small, thick-skinned grapes with a very high ratio of solids, rich in colouring matter and tannins, to juice. Cabernet Sauvignon typically has medium to full body and high tannins.

Cabernet Sauvignon ripens much later than Chardonnay and so tends to be planted in rather warmer areas. Contrary to popular belief, it is not Bordeaux's most planted vine; that is Merlot. In Bordeaux it thrives above all on the warm, gravelly soils of the Left Bank, especially in the Médoc and Graves, and is found to a lesser extent in Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and Fronsac. It is mainly grown in China, France, Chile, the United States, Australia, Spain, Argentina, Italy and South Africa.

• Bordeaux's Left Bank: Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wines from the Médoc, in appellations such as Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Margaux and Saint-Estèphe, and from Pessac-Léognan, are typically blends with Merlot and sometimes a little Petit Verdot, and Bordeaux's cooler maritime climate makes Merlot invaluable for softening tannins
• Napa Valley: local vintners call Cabernet Sauvignon the acknowledged king of red grapes in the valley, at 40% of total production and 55% of crop value; Napa's warm Mediterranean climate ripens its tannins fully, and Rutherford, Oakville, Calistoga and Howell Mountain are among the renowned AVAs
• Coonawarra (South Australia): Australia defined Coonawarra, in the far south east of South Australia on a small and hotly disputed strip of terra rossa earth, as her perfect spot for Cabernet Sauvignon before doing the same for any other variety, and its wines tend to show a noticeably high level of acidity and often notes of eucalyptus
• Margaret River (Western Australia): the region is renowned for refined and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon, often blended with Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot and tending to be medium bodied, very perfumed and elegant, with powdery, emery-fine tannins and balanced acidity; many vineyards are based on Western Australia's heritage Houghton clone, and after the first Cabernet planting at Vasse Felix in 1967 came Moss Wood (1969) and Cape Mentelle (1970)
• Chile: Cabernet Sauvignon occupies approximately 20% of the country's vineyard area, and Chilean Cabernet, most of it still ungrafted, has a particularly direct, fruity flavour
• Italy: Tuscan producers, led by Sassicaia, have shown that Tuscany is, in one critic's view, probably the most likely third candidate for Cabernet paradise, after Bordeaux and California
• Spain: Cabernet Sauvignon is the fourth most planted red wine grape there, particularly in Somontano and Navarra
• China: the country's recent wine-producing revolution has been based almost entirely on extensive plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon has a very powerful and recognisable aroma of blackcurrants wherever it is grown, with cedar, cigar boxes and sometimes tobacco when it is matured in newish oak. If the grapes are anything less than fully ripe, the wine can smell of crushed green leaves, or 'herbaceous'. Typical flavours include violet and bell pepper; pyrazines are present if the grapes are harvested early, and the vegetal flavours progressively fade with ageing, allowing more complex flavours to develop. Its aromas include abundant cassis, capsicum and occasional menthol.

• Bordeaux versus Napa: Napa more commonly gives a rich, succulent, ripe and structured wine with cooked dark fruit flavours and a menthol edge, while Bordeaux typically shows leafier flavours, grippy or chalky tannins and a slightly lighter body
• With bottle age come aromas and flavours such as graphite, prune, tobacco, leather and wet leaves
• Many finer California Cabernets show a certain minty quality, others an earthiness

Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended because it has high tannicity and deep colour but is not particularly round or fat. Merlot brings finesse, silkiness and roundness to the blend, and in Napa, as in Bordeaux, it has been used as a blending partner to add body and soft fruit to the more structured and tannic Cabernet Sauvignon. For premium wines in both Bordeaux and Napa, oak use is a given, mainly the traditional 225L French oak barrique, with more new oak the more prestigious the wine; the oxygen oak provides helps soften the tannins, and a new barrel adds vanilla, clove and toasty notes.

• Post-fermentation maceration: common in both Bordeaux and Napa; the newly fermented wine is kept at high temperature for continued tannin extraction, which also allows polymerisation, the linking of tannin molecules into longer chains for a smoother texture
• Margaret River: winemaking is quite classical, with maceration, pressing and maturation in oak barriques, though vessels such as concrete and terracotta are growing in popularity
• Te Mata Estate's Coleraine '24 is one worked example: a traditional warm-plunged fermentation and extended maceration on skins, then 19 months in mostly new French oak barrels, 70% of them new

Château Latour and Opus One are examples of premium Cabernet production in Bordeaux and Napa. In Tuscany, Sassicaia led the producers who showed the region's potential, and the Cabernet of Château Musar in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, blended with Cinsault, is in one critic's view one of the most distinctive of all. In Margaret River, Moss Wood, an important, founding estate of the region, planted its first Cabernet Sauvignon vines in 1969 and made its first vintage in 1973 with 250 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, while Cullen's 2024 Diana Madeline is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec and 2% Merlot. In Hawke's Bay, Te Mata Estate's Coleraine, first produced in 1982, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

• Moss Wood (Margaret River): planted in 1969; first vintage 1973, 250 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon
• Cullen Diana Madeline (Margaret River): the 2024 is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec and 2% Merlot
• Te Mata Coleraine (Hawke's Bay): first produced in 1982; a single-vineyard wine until 1989, now an assemblage from plots within Te Mata Estate's oldest vineyards, first planted in 1892; the 2024 blend is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc
• Château Musar (Bekaa Valley, Lebanon): Cabernet blended with Cinsault

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends have a long history in New Zealand, dating back to the mid-1800s, and today over 90% of those plantings are in Hawke's Bay and Auckland. The blends are predominantly grown in the warmer regions of Auckland, Northland and Hawke's Bay, which benefit from extended heat accumulation due to lower diurnal temperature variation. In Hawke's Bay, the alluvial plains between Havelock and Napier, shaped by rivers and crisscrossed with gravel beds, free-draining alluvial soils and stony terraces, take in the pioneering vineyards of Taradale and Meeanee plus the Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa Triangle area, home to some of the region's best wines. Hawke's Bay's Cabernet Sauvignon predominant reds are well structured, with classic blackcurrant and spice flavours, often with a touch of mint, and top blends often include small proportions of Cabernet Franc and Malbec and, less frequently, Petit Verdot. In one critic's assessment, New Zealand Cabernet Sauvignon can be too herbaceous and acid, but the best examples, most of them grown in the relatively warm climates of Hawke's Bay and Waiheke Island, are increasingly ripe.

• Hawke's Bay Cabernet Sauvignon: impressive structure, with classic dark fruit and spice
• Te Mata Estate's Coleraine: first produced in 1982, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and a single-vineyard wine until 1989

Many of South Africa's traditionally most revered wines, and in one critic's view a few of its best, are Cabernets, which have shown some satisfying regional variations; Cape winemakers have tended to make 100% Cabernets, unsoftened by Merlot or leavened by Cabernet Franc, and leafroll virus has been a problem for many Cape Cabernet vineyards. Stellenbosch has a winemaking tradition that stretches back to the end of the 17th century, with mountainous terrain, good rainfall, deep well-drained soils and a diversity of terroirs that make it a sought-after viticultural area, and the district is known for the quality of its blended reds. Its smaller viticultural pockets include Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch and Vlottenburg, and Helderberg is one of the five tourist sub-routes of the Stellenbosch Wine Route.

Young Cabernet Sauvignon is best matched with robust red meat dishes such as game and braised lamb, and older bottles with simply prepared roasts, steaks and aged cheeses. New Zealand's Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blends partner well with red meats and game or winter casseroles, and with a strong cheese. Cullen Wines suggests Wagyu sirloin with caramelised shallot and beef jus for its 2024 Diana Madeline.

Primary sources: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=1929, https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=7657, https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0597-84, https://doi.org/10.5073/vitis.1997.36.179-183, https://www.oiv.int/public/medias/5888/en-distribution-of-the-worlds-grapevine-varieties.pdf, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/grape-varieties/cabernet-sauvignon/, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2025/judging-cabernet-napa-versus-bordeaux-cabernet-sauvignon, https://napavintners.com/napa_valley/grape_varieties/, https://margaretriver.wine/wine-varieties/, https://www.nzwine.com/en/winestyles/merlot-cabernet/, https://www.nzwine.com/en/regions/hawkes-bay/, https://www.wosa.co.za/The-Industry/Winegrowing-Areas/Winelands-of-South-Africa/, https://www.mosswood.com.au/about/, https://www.mosswood.com.au/wines/, https://www.cullenwines.com.au/products/2024-diana-madeline, https://www.temata.co.nz/product/coleraine-24/, https://www.temata.co.nz/collection/showcase-wine/. Reference: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/red/cabernet-sauvignon Textbook: WSET, Understanding Wines: Explaining Style and Quality (Level 3), 2016, ISBN 978 1 905819 39 3, p. 67. Last verified 2026-10-04