Cabernet Sauvignon Guide (Best Wines, Food Pairings, Taste)

by Hunter Robillard

When it comes to red wine - you’d sure have a favorite Cabernet Sauvignon in mind!

It originated in France in the 17th century as a chance crossing between Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Today, Cabernet Sauvignon has found a home in almost every wine region across the globe - including California, New Zealand, Australia, and Chile.

The hardy, versatile Cabernet Sauvignon also blends well with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenere, Tempranillo, and the Tannat grape varieties.

Let’s uncover everything about this popular grape, best bottles to buy, flavors, prices, wine regions, and winemaking techniques.

Interesting Facts About Cabernet Sauvignon

Here are some cool facts you should knowabout the most popular red wine.

Is Cabernet Sauvignon A Dry Or Sweet Wine?

Cabernet Sauvignon, like Pinot Noir, is usually a dry red wine. In some rare cases, Cabernet Sauvignon is used in the blend of dessert-style wines.

The Difference Between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot

Both the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grape varietals come from France and dominate the Bordeaux blend. There is a higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in Left Bank red wines, while the Right Bank has more Merlot in them.

The Merlot grape often has cherry and dark chocolate flavors and creates easy-to-drink wines. In comparison, Cabernet Sauvignon produces a Bordeaux wine with robust tannins that requires some aging to soften the tannins.

How Do You Serve Cabernet Sauvignon?

The perfect wine glass makes all the difference. Serve your Cabernet Sauvignon in a glass with a large bowl that tapers at the top to enjoy all the beautiful aromas.

Can you chill or refrigerate Cabernet Sauvignon?

Yes - serve your favorite Cab Sauv at a temperature between 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit to enjoy its full potential.

What Foods Pair Well With Cabernet Sauvignon?

When it comes to food pairings - the bold flavor of Cabernet Sauvignon goes well with foods with a similar flavor.

Dishes like steak, brisket, lamb burgers, fowl, hearty pasta dishes, and aged gouda will emphasize the flavor and aroma of Cab Sauv wine.

Flavors and Characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is a sweet grape that’s mostly made in a dry wine style. When aged in an oak barrel, the tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon wine allow it to obtain full-bodied, rich flavors.

A full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon has high tannins and noticeable acidity - even with a typical alcohol level of 14%.

On its own, it may have a sharp taste - this is why winemakers choose to blend it with Merlot to soften it.

Typical flavors associated with Cabernet Sauvignon wine are eucalyptus and mint. Cab Sauv wines are also known for their “green bell pepper flavor,” which is more prevalent in under-ripe grapes.

New World wine regions can produce Cabernet wines with more ripe fruit flavors from overripe grapes.

Cabernet Sauvignon Health Benefits

In 2006, a study conducted at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai showed that resveratrol, a compound in red wine, reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Cabernet Sauvignon wine (in moderate quantities) can reduce the compounds that attack the brain cells that cause Alzheimer’s.

Best Cabernet Sauvignon Wines To Add To Your Cellar

Here are eight outstanding Cab Sauv wines you should try in 2021:

1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA
2013 Ghost Horse Vineyard 'Spectre' Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA
2013 Shafer Vineyards 'Premiere Napa Valley' Sunspot Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, USA
2008 Promontory, Napa Valley, USA
2008 Schrader Cellars 'Old Sparky' Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA
2011 Tusk Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA
2004 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, USA
2015 Amici Cellars 'Premiere Napa Valley' Missouri Hopper Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, USA

1. 1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA ($24,613)

This cult Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Screaming Eagle has a sensational aroma with notes of jammy black currant with hints of toasty oak. This full-bodied red wine reveals notes of ripe fruit, black currant, and cassis. Every component of this wine is perfectly balanced from the tannin level to the finish.

2. 2013 Ghost Horse Vineyard 'Spectre' Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA ($5296)

This highly aromatic red wine has the perfect combination of silkiness and structure. This California Cabernet has elegant tasting notes of black plum, cassis, baking spices, blackberry, white pepper, and leather.

3. 2013 Shafer Vineyards 'Premiere Napa Valley' Sunspot Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, USA ($1499)

This Napa Valley Cabernet wine has an intoxicating aroma of black cherry and tobacco. The ripe tannins are the backbone for the cherry and forest floor flavors on the palate, leading to a divine finish.

4. 2008 Promontory, Napa Valley, USA ($1382)

This red wine has gorgeous aromas of cinnamon, mint oil, black raspberry, and oak. This dry wine has intense flavors of dark fruit and exotic spice. The tannins in this great wine mellow out after some breathing time.

5. 2008 Schrader Cellars 'Old Sparky' Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA ($1282)

This wine has bold aromas of ripe red and black fruit, licorice, plum, tobacco, dark spices, cherry liqueur, and creme de cassis. This great wine has black and red fruit flavors, bright acidity, minerals, and noticeable tannins on the palate.

6. 2011 Tusk Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA ($1099)

This medium-bodied Cab Sauv has delicious blackberry, underbrush, black cherry, and the typical green pepper notes. This flavorful wine has a linear finish with subtle notes of plum.

7. 2004 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, USA ($985)

This ruby-red Cabernet Sauvignon has bright aromas of blackberry, plum, tobacco, and licorice. This full-bodied wine is perfectly balanced with notes of creme de cassis, floral notes, minerality, and fine tannins.

8. 2015 Amici Cellars 'Premiere Napa Valley' Missouri Hopper Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, USA ($900)

This gorgeous wine from Oakville has aromas of dark chocolate, plum, black cherry, and vanilla. This full-bodied wine has tasting notes of blackberry pie with dark fruit and chocolate. The finish has subtle notes of herbs, bell pepper, and clove.

Need more options?

Here are 15 more mesmerizing Cab Sauv wines for your cellar!

Now, is it a profitable choice to invest in a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon?

Why You Should Invest In Cabernet Sauvignon Wines

Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally popular thanks to the delicious Bordeaux wines, where it blends perfectly with Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

But, Cabernet’s success is not confined to the borders of Bordeaux - its reputation took off once it hit the shores of California (Paso Robles, Washington, and Sonoma County.)

With its robust tannins, this red wine grape built an excellent reputation with its ability to age and develop in a bottle.

Fun Fact: A Californian Cabernet from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars beat the top Bordeaux winery, Château Mouton-Rothschild, in a blind tasting in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.

The most sought-after Cab Sauv investment wines are Californian wines (like Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Schrader Cellar, Christian Moueix), all of which are produced in small quantities.

In most cases, the wines hardly reach the secondary market as often as their French counterparts adding to their rarity and cult stature.

The Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz blend from Australia’s Penfold Grange retails for around $1000 and has been known to fetch ten times the price at auctions. Here are other examples from auctions:

After achieving cult status, the 1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon was sold for $500,000 at a charity auction in 2000.
A Jeroboam of the 1945 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was sold at the 1997 Christie's auction for an astounding $310,700.

However, not every bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon is created equal.

So, how do you know which Cabernet Sauvignon will perform as an investment wine?

The simplest way is to use a world-class online wine investment firm like Vinovest. Vinovest will help you build a wine portfolio, including buying, storing, and selling the bottles for profit.

Now let’s look at more details about Cabernet Sauvignon - where it grows and how the wine is made.

Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Regions

The first estates known to have cultivated Cabernet Sauvignon during the 18th century are the legendary Château Mouton and Château d'Armailhac in the Pauillac appellation of France.

Today, Cabernet Sauvignon is grown worldwide, with some wine regions more popular than others:

Old World Wine Regions

Among Old World wine regions, the Left Bank in Bordeaux and Tuscany house the most popular producers of Cabernet wines.

France: This region is the largest producer with over 55,000 hectares of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. The grape is dominant in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southwest France.
Italy: Cabernet Sauvignon didn’t have a warm welcome in this wine region, with winemakers only using native grape varieties. But, when some of them started blending the Cabernet Sauvignon grape with other varieties, it became hugely popular. These bottles are now known as the “Super Tuscan” wines!

New World Wine Regions

California is the biggest New World producer of Cabernet Sauvignon today, followed by Spain, Chile (Maipo valley), Washington State, and Australia.

United States: California is the largest producer, with Washington State (Columbia Valley) second. Cabernet Sauvignon also dominates many other US wine regions, including Alexander Valley (Sonoma) and Yountville.
Australia: Cabernet Sauvignon has been grown in Australia since the 1800s in areas like Coonawarra. But, it started gaining popularity in the 1970s.
Chile: Chilean Cab Sauv wines are similar to the beautiful Bordeaux wines - thanks to the similarity in climates.
Argentina: While Malbec is popular in this South American country, Cabernet Sauvignon is also made in large quantities.
South Africa: Some of the best Cabernet Sauvignons from this wine region are produced using grapes from the Constantina and Stellenbosch vineyards.
China: China recently started investing in Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards.

Let’s take a look at the viticulture, terroir, and winemaking techniques for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet Sauvignon Viticulture, Terroir, And Winemaking Techniques

On the vine, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are small, thick-skinned, with a blue color and a high level of tannin.

This grape varietal is resistant to most diseases, especially powdery mildew.

This late-ripening grape variety thrives in the warmer climates of Bordeaux and California. The varietal performs better in the gravel-based soil in the Medoc region.

The Importance Of Oak Aging in Making Cab Sauv Wines

Another reason for Cabernet Sauvignon’s popularity is its ability to develop and age in an oak barrel.

Oak softens the grape’s high tannins and imparts unique wood flavors that complement the grape’s natural flavors. Depending on the winemaker, fermentation of the ripe and under-ripe grapes occur separately, and they blend the wine before bottling.

Winemakers usually experiment with different types of oak from other regions to create a more complex blend.

An American oak barrel imparts stronger oak flavors compared to a French oak barrel. In Portugal and Italy, winemakers are experimenting with barrels made with redwood and chestnut to give the wine new flavors.

Ready to add a Cab Sauv wine to your collection?