Cabernet Sauvignon

Bowers and Meredith's 1997 Nature Genetics paper describes Cabernet Sauvignon as deriving its fame from its long association with the Bordeaux region of France, where it has been grown at least since the 17th century. The OIV calls it a black wine grape variety from Bordeaux, and the CIVB's bordeaux.com describes it as an ancient Bordeaux variety belonging to the Carmenets, a family of Bordeaux varieties whose name comes from the Latin carminium ('red'). Its standing outside France grew after the 1976 Judgment of Paris: WSET recounts that the blind tasting pitted the best Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux against the best Napa Cabernets, and that the result gave countries outside Europe the confidence to nurture the variety.

• The OIV lists synonyms including Petit Cabernet, Cabernet, Kabernet, Burdeos Tinto, Petit Vidoure, Vidure Sauvignon and Kaberne Sovinjon
• Jancis Robinson notes that Cabernet cuttings were taken to South America long before the phylloxera pest struck, and that the Chilean wine industry was built on the variety
• The OIV notes that 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 OIV describes the vine as late-budding with a long maturity period, small berries in small cylindrical-conical clusters, and particular susceptibility to grapevine trunk diseases and powdery mildew

According to VIVC, the Vitis International Variety Catalogue, Cabernet Sauvignon (variety number 1929, a black-berried Vitis vinifera) comes from France. VIVC's passport lists the pedigree Cabernet Franc x Sauvignon Blanc as 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 reported: "Our data confirm the origin of Cabernet Sauvignon from a cross between Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc." Jancis Robinson's grape page likewise describes Cabernet Sauvignon as the progeny of 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"
• On VIVC's data Merlot is a half-sibling: VIVC's Merlot passport (prime name Merlot Noir) also lists Cabernet Franc as one of its two parents

According to the CIVB's bordeaux.com, Cabernet Sauvignon tends to produce wines with moderate alcohol levels because it ripens late, and its nose is highly aromatic, with layers of cassis, licorice and mint. Jancis Robinson likewise notes that it is not especially alcoholic but can be extremely long-lived. WSET's Lauren Denyer points to its thick, glossy skin and natural high acidity, supported on the palate by firm tannins. Jancis Robinson attributes its longevity to small, thick-skinned grapes with a very high ratio of solids, rich in colouring matter and tannins, to juice.

Jancis Robinson notes that Cabernet Sauvignon ripens much later than Chardonnay and so tends to be planted in rather warmer areas, and that, contrary to popular belief, it is not Bordeaux's most planted vine; that is Merlot. In Bordeaux, the CIVB says 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. The OIV lists it as mainly grown in China, France, Chile, the United States, Australia, Spain, Argentina, Italy and South Africa.

• Bordeaux's Left Bank: WSET notes that 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 that Bordeaux's cooler maritime climate makes Merlot invaluable for softening tannins
• Napa Valley: Napa Valley Vintners call Cabernet Sauvignon the acknowledged king of red grapes in the valley, at 40% of total production and 55% of crop value; WSET notes that Napa's warm Mediterranean climate ripens its tannins fully, naming Rutherford, Oakville, Calistoga and Howell Mountain among the renowned AVAs
• Coonawarra (South Australia): Jancis Robinson writes that Australia defined Coonawarra, 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 that its wines tend to show a noticeably high level of acidity and often notes of eucalyptus
• Margaret River (Western Australia): the Margaret River Wine Association describes the region's Cabernet Sauvignon as refined and age-worthy, often blended with Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, and tending to be medium bodied, very perfumed and elegant, with powdery, emery-fine tannins; 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: in the OIV's 2017 study Cabernet Sauvignon occupied approximately 20% of the country's vineyard area; Jancis Robinson describes Chilean Cabernet, most of it still ungrafted, as having a particularly direct, fruity flavour
• Italy: Jancis Robinson writes that Tuscan producers, led by Sassicaia, have shown that Tuscany is probably the most likely third candidate for Cabernet paradise, after Bordeaux and California
• Spain: Jancis Robinson reports Cabernet Sauvignon as the fourth most planted red wine grape there, particularly in Somontano and Navarra
• China: Jancis Robinson notes that China's recent wine-producing revolution has been based almost entirely on extensive plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon

Jancis Robinson singles out a very powerful and recognisable aroma of blackcurrants wherever the grape 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, she notes, the wine can smell of crushed green leaves, or 'herbaceous'. The OIV cites typical violet and bell pepper flavours, noting that pyrazines are present if the grapes are harvested early and that the vegetal flavours progressively fade with ageing, allowing more complex flavours to develop. WSET's Lauren Denyer lists abundant cassis, capsicum and occasional menthol among its aromas.

• Bordeaux versus Napa (WSET): 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, WSET notes aromas and flavours such as graphite, prune, tobacco, leather and wet leaves
• Jancis Robinson notes that many finer California Cabernets show a certain minty quality, others an earthiness

The OIV notes that Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended because it has high tannicity and deep colour but is not particularly round or fat. The CIVB describes Merlot as bringing finesse, silkiness and roundness to the blend, and Napa Valley Vintners describe Merlot's role in Napa, as in Bordeaux, as a blending partner that adds body and soft fruit to the more structured and tannic Cabernet Sauvignon. For premium wines in both Bordeaux and Napa, WSET says 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 (WSET): 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 (Margaret River Wine Association): 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

WSET cites Château Latour and Opus One as examples of premium Cabernet production in Bordeaux and Napa. In Tuscany, Jancis Robinson names Sassicaia as the leader of the producers who showed the region's potential, and she describes the Cabernet of Château Musar in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, blended with Cinsault, as one of the most distinctive of all. In Margaret River, Moss Wood planted its first Cabernet Sauvignon vines in 1969 and made its first vintage in 1973 with 250 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, per the estate, 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, per Jancis Robinson

New Zealand Wine says Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends have a long history in the country, dating back to the mid-1800s, and that 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, crisscrossed with gravel beds and free-draining alluvial soils, take in the Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa Triangle area, which New Zealand Wine calls home to some of the region's best wines. It describes Hawke's Bay's Cabernet Sauvignon predominant reds as well structured, with classic blackcurrant and spice flavours, often with a touch of mint, and notes that top blends often include small proportions of Cabernet Franc and Malbec and, less frequently, Petit Verdot. Jancis Robinson writes that New Zealand Cabernet Sauvignon can be too herbaceous and acid, but that 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 (New Zealand Wine): 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

Jancis Robinson writes that many of South Africa's traditionally most revered wines, and a few of its best, are Cabernets, that Cape winemakers have tended to make 100% Cabernets, unsoftened by Merlot or leavened by Cabernet Franc, and that leafroll virus has been a problem for many Cape Cabernet vineyards. Wines of South Africa describes Stellenbosch as having 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, and says the district is known for the quality of its blended reds. It lists the district's smaller viticultural pockets as Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch and Vlottenburg, and names Helderberg as one of the five tourist sub-routes of the Stellenbosch Wine Route.

Napa Valley Vintners suggest matching young Cabernet Sauvignon with robust red meat dishes such as game and braised lamb, and older bottles with simply prepared roasts, steaks and aged cheeses. New Zealand Wine recommends its Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blends 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. Last verified 2026-09-29