Cheers to Cabernet Sauvignon

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/02/2024 (916 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While wine trends come and go, Cabernet Sauvignon remains one of the most popular red wine grapes among both winemakers and wine drinkers alike. It’s still among one of the most widely planted wine grape varieties in the world and can be found growing in virtually every region in the world that produces wine (for better or worse).

First emerging in 17th-century France as an unplanned crossing between two very different grape varieties (Cabernet Franc, a red grape variety, and Sauvignon Blanc, a white wine grape), it came to prominence in Bordeaux as one of the primary varieties in the great, structured reds of the region.

Since then it has spread around the world, with producers making it both as single-variety wines as well as the backbone of many a big, bold red blend.

Cabernet Sauvignon offers a range of characteristics based on climate, soil and the like, from earthy and herbal to dense and jammy. It handles oak barrel as well or better than most red wine grapes, but is just as impressive without that wood influence, and often brings medium to firm-grip tannins, making it a wine that shines with food (think steaks or other beef dishes, sharp cheeses, stews and the like).

Here are a half-dozen Cabs tasted recently from six different corners of the winemaking world, listed rougly from lightest to heaviest…

● Cono Sur 2021 Organic Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley, Chile — $19.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Like many Chilean Cabernets, there’s a pronounced herbal note on the nose of this organic red, coming with plum, earth, blackcurrant and cherry aromas.

It’s medium-plus-bodied and dry, bringing cherry, blackcurrant, plum and blueberry notes along with earthy and white pepper flavours, modest tannin and a hint of spice (from oak aging) and a slightly warm finish.

Drink now. 3.5/5

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● Abbotts & Delauney 2021 Les Fruit Sauvages Cabernet Sauvignon (Pays D’Oc, France — $17.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

From southern France comes this Cabernet Sauvignon, which aromatically offers attractive violet, cassis, blackberry, mocha and plum notes.

It’s full-bodied and juicy, with modest acidity ramping up the vibrant cassis and blackberry flavours, secondary mocha and white pepper notes, an underlying blueberry component and modest but grippy tannins before the long, slightly warm finish.

Just 10 per cent of the wine spends time in oak barrels, allowing the fruit to shine through.

Drink this lively red now or hold for a couple years; it’s on sale right now (regular price $19.99), making it an even better buy. 4.5/5

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● Tommasi 2020 Poggio Al Tufo Cabernet Sauvignon (Tuscany, Italy — $24.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

From central Tuscany comes this Italian Cabernet Sauvignon, grown in volcanic soils — it offers ripe plum and cassis aromas, with an earthy component and secondary herbal, eucalyptus and chalky notes.

On the dry, medium-plus bodied palate it brings ripe blackberry, plum and dark cherry notes balanced by that eucalyptus component, hints of white pepper, dusty but firm tannins and a long, warm finish (it’s 13 per cent alcohol). Brings Old World charm to distinguish it from the more fruit-forward New World Cabernets.

Drink now. 4/5

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● El Esteco 2021 Blend de Extremos Cabernet Sauvignon (Calchaqui Valley, Argentina — $17.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Made from grapes sourced from two different vineyards located 1,700 and 2,000 metres above sea level, there’s a decided eucalyptus, almost-green note that comes with the deep blackberry, black cherry, cassis and plum notes aromatically.

On the dense, grippy and full-bodied palate those dark fruit notes come wrapped in grippy tannins, with underlying herbal and eucalyptus flavours showing well.

Drinking well now (particularly while it’s on sale — it’s regular $19.99) with some aerating/decanting, or can be set aside for a couple of years. 3.5/5

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● Elderton 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon (Barossa, Australia — $31.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Cabernet Sauvignon from the warmer Barossa region tend to be a bit deeper and gutsier than their counterparts from Australia’s Coonawarra or western regions, and the Elderton is no exception — it brings deep cassis, plum, cracked pepper, anise and blackberry notes aromatically, with a hint of vanilla from time in barrel.

On the dense, grippy and full-bodied palate the dark berry flavours come with chewy tannins, tarry and anise notes, well-integrated oak and a long, slightly warm finish.

Let this breathe for a bit, or cellar for 3-5 years. 4.5/5

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● True Myth Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles, Calif. — around $34, private wine stores)

Inky purple in colour, this California Cab offers lush blueberry, cassis, eucalyptus, espresso and white pepper notes on the nose.

It’s dense, chewy and full-bodied, with rich, ripe dark fruit, eucalyptus and black licorice flavours wrapped in vanilla and spice from over 15 months in new barrels, grippy tannins and a long, warm finish (it’s 14.5 per cent alcohol).

Fans of oak-aged Cabernet will find plenty to like here; it’s tasting good now (after some decanting or time in a glass to breathe), or can be tucked away for 3-5 years to let the tannins soften and the alcohol settle down. 4/5

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