Cabernet Savignon

Cabernet Savignon Information
Known as the king of red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon is responsible for the great red Bordeaux wines of France, excellent red wines from California and many other states and countries including Australia and Chile. This wine can be somewhat rough due to the high tannins when young. Cabernet Sauvignon possesses extreme depth, richness, concentration and longevity. Great Cabernet needs both oak and bottle aging to bring it into harmony. When produced in the Bordeaux region of France, it is always blended with other grapes, including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and sometimes Petit Verdot and/or Malbec. The most prized Cabernets came from the Médoc, France communes of Margaux, St.-Julien, Pauillac, and St.-Estèphe in Bordeaux, where the wines are ranked into growths, from First Growth, the most renowned, down to the Fifth Growth. Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with Sangiovese in Tuscany, Italy; Shiraz in Australia; and Merlot and Cabernet Franc in South Africa. It is usually aged in either French or American oak for about 15 to 30 months, which adds vanilla notes. Even though Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended with other grapes as noted above, it is often labeled only as Cabernet Sauvignon, provided the percentage of this grape is at least 75% in the United States, and 85% in Europe.