Cabernet Sauvignon World Day

World-renowned and well-travelled, Cabernet Sauvignon makes some of the world’s finest red wines, working either on its own, or blended with other varieties.

In 1997, researchers at UC Davis (Carole Meredith and John Bowers) shocked the world. They discovered Cabernet Sauvignon was a child of Sauvignon Blanc (and Cabernet Franc).

Two different style of Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet sauvignon is made in two fairly distinct styles:

Old world: these are your classic French bottles, famously shown in Bordeaux‘s great clarets. They tend to have a brooding character, with robust tannins adding structure and blackcurrant fruit shining through. It’s here that one of the greatest blending partnerships of the wine world was forged – the marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It is a relationship that has travelled the globe, making some of the best wines in the world.

New world: In California and the southern hemisphere (Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia), Cabernets tend to develop a sense of fullness and weight. Rich in blackcurrant, mint and occasionally green bell pepper flavours along with firm tannins, the best wines here can age for decades too.

Selection of 3 super Cabernet Sauvignon

1. The showstopper 2015 Bordeaux

2015 was a beloved vintage across the board in Bordeaux. This was a very dry vintage with just enough rain towards the end of the growing season to save the vintage. The result is a very concentrated wine that will evolve nicely over the coming years.

You will want to line your cellar walls with this 2015 Bordeaux. With a little age on it, this wine is only going to improve in the bottle.

If you are a fan of Claret, (the way the English refer to red wines from Bordeaux), you will be pleased. The 2015 Chateau Brondelle Graves Grand Vin Rouge is definitely a nice treat.

2. James Mitchell’s California Cabernet

If you are looking for a full bodied Cab with rich fruit at an approachable price, at 23/bottle the James Mitchell Lodi Cab does not disappoint.

It goes down great with a juicy steak, barbecue ribs or a soul satisfying hamburger.

There’s a pretty sharp group of folks down there. Once they realized just how good the conditions in the Lodi region were for growing grapes, the whole region was pretty much converted to grapevines.

What are the reason’s the conditions are so good you ask?

Well, a long growing season, warm days, cool nights and an almost constant breeze coming down the valley from the North contribute to what many consider to be perfect grape growing conditions.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi by James Mitchell was able to capitalize on those conditions.

3. Snowden’s 95+ Point Napa Valley Cabernet

When critic Antonio Galloni recently spoke of today’s Napa Valley Cabernet, he said “A knockout wine, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Brothers dazzles from the very first taste.”

Should you want the definitive lesson on marrying elegance with power, Snowden’s Brothers Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet is the unequivocal answer.

It’s impossible not to agree with that sentiment when tasting this bottle. There’s a feeling that rushes over me and when this kind of wine makes an appearance: a beacon among some 500+ Napa Valley Cabernet producers. Snowden is one of Napa Valley’s best.

Winemaker, Diana Snowden-Seysses is one of Napa’s best and most respected winemakers. The Napa native splits time between her family’s Cabernet vineyards and Burgundy’s Domaine Dujac.

This ‘15 is among the finest Napa Valley wine investments you’ll ever see. Limited allocation.

Where to find these red wines?
→ Château Brondelle Graves Grand Vin Rouge 2015
→ Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi by James Mitchell 2016
→ Cabernet Sauvignon Brothers Vineyard Napa Valley by Snowden 2015