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About Wines -
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon: The Red of Reds
Cabernet Sauvignon is the world's most renowned red wine grape varietal.
Four distinctive physical features differentiate this grape: very small
size, intense black color, thick skin, and relatively large seeds. Prolonged
contact with the skins and seeds after crushing and during fermentation
account for most of Cabernet's intense color and tannins respectively.
Skin thickness makes the grapes relatively resistant to rot, enabling a
longer ripening period. Cabernet Sauvignon's legendary aging potential
allows some of the finest vintages to be laid down 10, 20, 30 or more years.
Recently a Cabernet from Thomas Jefferson's personal cellar was unearthed
and opened, and still possessed many of the wine's best qualities.
Most Cabernet Sauvignon is vinted in traditional Bordeaux style- lot
selected and aged in small French Oak (more recently, American Oak) barrels
to impart vanilla and smoky flavors to the wine. Aged for several in the
barrel, the best Cabernet's need bottle aging of 5 or more years to mellow.
The high tannin levels in the wine maintain stability in the bottle, and as
they age, impart a smooth, rich body and mouth-feel.
Classic Cabernet flavors include: Black currant, black cherry, plum and
spice. It may also possess layers of herb, olive, mint, tobacco, clove,
anise, and ripe, jammy berries. In cooler areas, it can be marked by
pronounced vegetal, bell pepper, oregano or other vegetal hints. Oak aging
can impart chocolate, vanilla, cedar and toasty oak notes as well.
Young Cabernets tend to be very fruity, with occasionally biting tannin levels. As the wine bottle ages, it becomes softer and rounder. Fruitiness
is replaced by creamy, port-like flavors, and the herbal cedar notes are
accentuated. Properly stored and aged Cabernet Sauvignon can fetch
impressive prices, and frequently are worth the indulgence.
Although the fine French Bordeaux houses arguably produce the best wines,
California wineries, particularly those in Napa Valley have rivaled the
French. In many cases, through experimentation in winemaking techniques,
vintners have produced many new styles of Cabernet, one to meet almost every
tasting preference.
IndigoGuide French Holiday Guide - French Wines
Growing Regions - Alsace Lorraine - Bordeaux - Burgundy - Champagne - Loire Valley
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