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The most renowned Vitis vinifera variety in the world, Cabernet Sauvignon is the premier variety for the production of fine, long-lived, red wine. The variety originated in the Medoc and Graves areas of Bordeaux, where it is invariably blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and/or Petit Verdot. Elsewhere, it is successfully blended with Sangiovese or Syrah (a.k.a. Shiraz). In recent years it is grown elsewhere to produce pure varietal wines.

Cabernet Sauvignon’s fruity flavor is most often described as blackcurrant and its nose as green bell pepper. But it is the grape’s complex concentration of tannins, pigments and flavor compounds that make it such a remarkable wine grape. It is easily made into deeply colored wines ideally suited to long periods of maceration and French oak ageing. Its particular appeal, however, is due to the subtle flavor compounds that develop over years with an accompanying subtle bouquet.

The grape itself is distinguished by a small, blue berry, high pip to pulp ratio, and uncommonly thick skin. The latter accounts for the depth of color the variety is known for, while the pips contribute to the high level of tannins. It is the unabashed complexity of its flavor components, however, that make Cabernet Sauvignon the “chocolate” of wines as compared to Chardonnay’s “vanilla.”