Lauren Denyer, WSET School London educator and Cabernet Sauvignon superfan, explains the rise to fame and regional differences of this noble grape variety.
Cabernet Sauvignon is, in my humble opinion, a perfect grape variety: from its uniform, beautifully rounded berries and svelte, conical bunches to its confident, seemingly aristocratic demeanour. It is widely planted, yet there is a certain discretion about where it is grown, and the plantings never feel excessive.
Cabernet Sauvignon feels like the Helen Mirren or Morgan Freeman of the wine world. This grape makes wine that delivers a very structured performance, does well in its youth but shines with age. It is consistent, with a slight malleability, makes its mark and in many cases can be truly memorable. These qualities are underpinned by its thick, glossy skin and natural high acidity. It has a clear personality which unfolds through its aromatic virtues. Think abundant cassis, capsicum, and occasional menthol. On the palate, these characteristics really shine through, supported by firm, unwavering tannins. It is little wonder, then, that this grape variety has its rightful place as a leader in the history of prestigious and iconic wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon is currently planted in every continent apart from Antarctica. There are 340,000 hectares planted globally, making it the most widely planted wine grape in the world. This becomes less surprising when you think of the positive press this grape receives.
The Judgment of Paris
One of the most memorable and spoken about wine events concerning this wonder of a variety was the Judgment of Paris in 1976. This competition, orchestrated by the late Stephen Spurrier, (a former Honorary President of WSET) pitted he best wines of Bordeaux, based on Cabernet Sauvignon, against the best Napa Cabernets. The wines were tasted blind by an experienced tasting panel. The ensuing results didn’t quite work out in France’s favour, but it quite rightly gave countries outside of Europe the confidence to nurture this variety and produce world-class wines, increasing its popularity and prestige.
Margaux, Bordeaux
According to reports, many French judges believed the winning Napa wines, when tasted blind, were in fact from Bordeaux. As a wine educator, I find this difficult to accept as the styles are distinctive, though quality is certainly comparable.
Let’s take a look at the differences in Bordeaux and Napa Cabernets.
Comparing Bordeaux and Napa
Climate
In Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wines from the Left Bank, especially in the Médoc in appellations such as Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Estèphe, and Pessac-Léognan, are typically blends, incorporating Merlot and sometimes a little of the fragrant and spicy Petit Verdot. Bordeaux’s moderate maritime climate is cooler, making Merlot invaluable for softening tannins and offering a roundness to the wine.
For a deeper look at how Bordeaux is evolving, take a look at this blog post by WSET School London educator Julia Lambeth.
Napa, by contrast, enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate, providing ample heat and light to ripen Cabernet’s tannins fully, particularly in the renowned AVAs of Rutherford, Oakville, Calistoga, and Howell Mountain, to name just a few. Managing the alcohol is a little trickier but the result is more commonly a rich, succulent, potentially glossy ripe and structured wine with cooked dark fruit flavours and a menthol edge, compared to the leafier flavours, grippy or chalky tannins and a slightly lighter body that is typically found in Bordeaux.
Part of the mystery and delight of Bordeaux wines are due to the temperamental climate. Vintage variation is a hot topic. Rainfall and temperature dictate Cabernet Sauvignon’s ripening potential. In cooler, wetter years, less Cabernet is typically used in blends, with more Merlot taking the lead. While Merlot can certainly produce long-lived wines in its own right, in Left Bank blends this shift usually means softer tannins and lower concentration, resulting in wines that are earlier drinking compared to great Cabernet-driven vintages.
Great vintages (see 2005, 2009, 2010, and more recently 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020) are mostly the result of dry and warm weather, something that cannot be guaranteed in Bordeaux. In Napa, the opposite is true. With fires due to extreme heat, smoke taint can be a major concern, and scorching weather can lead to burnt grape skins, jamminess and alcohol spikes.
A vineyard in Napa Valley
Winemaking
For premium wine production, of which there is plenty in both Bordeaux and Napa, (think Château Latour or Opus One), oak use is a given. Both regions use French oak, mainly the traditional 225L barrique, with many Napa producers sourcing this French oak from cooperages based in and around Bordeaux. The more prestigious the wine, the more new oak is used. With each new oak barrique costing approximately €1,200, this is not an expectation of your average producer. Cabernet Sauvignon thrives on being matured in oak. Its high tannins demand it, with the oxygen provided helping to soften those tannins, and the aromatic quality of the grape can easily handle the complementary vanilla, clove and toasty notes a new oak barrel imparts.
These oaky notes are not only complemented by the range of defined primary characteristics found from this variety, but also by the vast spectrum of delicious tertiary characteristics these wines can easily take on over time in bottle. Cabernet can delight with its signs of age, bringing aromas and flavours such as graphite, prune, tobacco, leather and wet leaves.
In addition to oak use, tannin management is essential. High-quality wines have high-quality tannins, mainly from high quality, healthy grapes, but this can be enhanced during the winemaking process. As with oak use, both regions also commonly use processes such as post-fermentation maceration. Following the fermentation, which tends to be plot by plot for high quality wines, the newly fermented wine is maintained at high temperature, allowing continued extraction of tannins. At this point, tannin extraction also allows for polymerisation (the linking of tannin molecules into longer chains, giving a smoother texture), which can increase length and structure, contributing to greater ageing potential in the final wine.
Premium pricing
With all the care and handling, it is no wonder that these wines can command such mind-blowing prices. The 1855 Left Bank Bordeaux classification lent these wines an almost unbendable hierarchy and an ability to price their wines according to prestige and tradition. With many wines on allocation, both in Bordeaux and Napa, the secondary market is most likely where you’ll find these wines and those from rarer vintages, which increases their market value.
These fine wines are an investment and highly collectable, due to their ageing potential - and their value tends to go up over time. On November 6, 2021, entrepreneur Don Steiner bought a bottle of Jeroboam Edition Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for an eyewatering $1,000,000, and extraordinarily the most expensive Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine from Bordeaux was sold at a wine auction in 2010 in Sotheby's, Hong Kong. This 75cl bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild 1869 sold for a massive €195,000. Such figures highlight the grape’s elite status and the diversity of styles it can achieve, maintaining a treasured consistency that attracts enthusiasts worldwide.
If you want to learn more about the well-known wine regions of the world, it might be time to sign up for the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines.
