The cult of cabernet

Often called the king of grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for some of the most expensive bottles in the world. While Bordeaux is the cradle of Cabernet, we give you a primer on why it excels in these other regions. By June Lee

{ Almaviva 2016 }

From Puente Alto, this celebrated collaboration between Concha y Toro and Baron Philippe de Rothschild never lets you down. The 2016 has a vivid freshness and focused tannins, comprising 66% Cabernet Sauvignon with just 13.9% alcohol. $240 from 1855 The Bottle Shop

Central Region, Chile

Chile is Cabernet country, with the grape occupying the majority of its plantings. With a wine industry that took root long before phylloxera struck Europe and was then never affected, Chile’s vineyards are free from the disease and not replanted with American rootstock like many of Europe’s vines. Notes Jancis Robinson, “Chilean Cabernet, most of it still ungrafted, has a particularly direct, fruity flavour, and can be enjoyed when only a year or two old. Some wines have a vague whiff of milk chocolate about them, followed up by something ever so slightly salty on the palate.” Quality producers pursue a mid to long ageing style that’s as engaging as examples from the Old World with all the energy of the New World.

{ Montes Alpha Special Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 }

Montes hails from Colchagua Valley, where long maturation periods imbue the Cabernet with notes of crème de cassis and tobacco leaf. Expect a voluminous and structured fruitiness from this 85% Cabernet Sauvignon blend. $52 from crystalwines.com

Napa Valley, U.S.A

{ Orin Swift Palermo 2015 }

“Power and dignity” is David Phinney’s ode to full-bodied Cabernet sourced across Napa Valley’s microclimates, graced with an image of the Palermo catacombs. Look for ripe cassis, herbal underbrush and welldeveloped tannins in this. $109 from 1855 The Bottle Shop Fine Cabernet Sauvignon thrives in much of California, not just Napa Valley, but it is Napa that takes the lion’s share of marketing and prestige. Famously, Napa Valley’s terroir includes morning fog and cloud cover that brings more favourable ripening conditions. High diurnal shifts between day and night also help to maintain acidity, while the generally poor soils encourage vines to work harder to ripen grapes. Some areas also enjoy volcanic soils that add to the ‘dusty’ characteristic of its wines. Napa Valley’s modern era was established roughly 50-plus years ago, and was solidified when Californian wines trumped French First Growths in the famous Judgement of Paris, 1976, organised by wine merchant Steven Spurrier.

{ Far Niente Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 }

A perfect representation of Oakville, Far Niente’s 97% Cabernet Sauvignon is poised with classic charm and commanding elegance. A solid core of dark plum with precise licorice guiding the palate is underpinned by cigar box notes and plush tannins. $318 from certaincellars.com

Cabernet Sauvignon

• originates from Bordeaux, where it was born from its parents Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc

• is the most widely planted red wine grape in the world, thanks to its hardiness and adaptability

• shares similar characteristics with Carménère and the red Txakoli wines of Basque

• is one of the most tannic red grapes with thick skin; it develops phenolics that help the wine to age well

• contains a distinguishing compound called methoxypyrazine, which usually gives it a subtle black pepper or vegetallike bell pepper note

• stands well on its own or in a Bordeauxstyle (claret) blend with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec

Tuscany, Italy

1971 heralded the commercial release of Italy’s first ‘super Tuscan’, Sassicaia, as well as the production of Tignanello, both using Bordeaux varietals that were not allowed in Chianti at the time. The DOC rules mandated the inclusion of white wine and limited the percentage of Sangiovese, resulting in a watered down wine. The resulting revolution in the 1970s would go on to produce some of Italy’s most renowned names, as well as establish some of the bold blends using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot alongside Sangiovese. Wine Spectator deems the 2015 and 2016 vintages “worth particular attention—they may be the most scintillating back-to-back vintages from Tuscany in the past three decades.”

{ Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 }

One of the finest vintages in recent years, with concentration and velvety texture yielding generous blueberry and red currant flavours with subtle oak from two years in French oak barriques. This 91% Cabernet Sauvignon will cellar well for 25 years. $171 from Hai Choo Wines & Spirits

{ Solaia 2015 }

Antinori’s historic Solaia was first produced in 1978, a counterpart to Tignanello with which it shares the same estate. Powerful ripe fruit in this harmonious vintage shows sensations of chocolate, licorice and mint, integrated into supple tannins and a long finish. $498 from Vintage Fine Wines

Margaret River, Australia

While Shiraz dominates as Australia’s most favoured grape to plant, Cabernet Sauvignon is Margaret River’s calling card. Its wine industry, established in 1967, is often cited as ‘Australia’ answer to Bordeaux’, thanks to a maritime, Mediterranean climate that is similar to Bordeaux in a dry season. As Virginia Wilcock from Vasse Felix explains, “We’re not under pressure to harvest our grapes early because of rain, disease and rot; all the things that winemakers are under pressure to harvest for.” While styles can vary tremendously from producer to producer, what remains constant is the fruit quality. “There was a clarity and delicacy to their red fruit flavours and an elegance in their structure which immediately set them apart,” said James Halliday, on the 2018 vintage.