Variety
RedCabernet Sauvignon
Also known as: Cabernet
World's most important red variety – powerful, tannic, age-worthy. Home: Bordeaux, classic in Margaret River.
Portrait
Cabernet Sauvignon is a natural cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc that arose in south-western France in the 17th century, as DNA analysis showed in 1996. In Bordeaux, especially the Médoc and the Left Bank of the Gironde, it is the leading variety of the great reds, and from there it has reached almost every wine country.
The vine buds late and ripens late; it needs warmth and gravel soils that warm quickly, and its small, thick-skinned berries yield plenty of colour and tannin. It is resistant to rot but susceptible to trunk diseases. In the atlas it appears in Bordeaux, Western Australia, Pfalz, Baden, Muntenia & Oltenia, Dobrudja and Banat. Cooler years leave green-pepper notes, warm ones bring cassis and cedar.
The wine has firm tannins, ages well and pairs with lamb, beef, game and aged hard cheese.
Taste profile
Six axes — acidity, sweetness, body, tannin, aroma intensity and depth — on a 0–5 scale, based on typical style. Real wines vary by region and producer.
Typical aromas — Cabernet Sauvignon
These 7 aromas typically define Cabernet Sauvignon. Actual taste experience varies by region and style.
Blackcurrant
Blackberry
Cedarwood
Graphite
Bell pepper
Leather
Tobacco
Cabernet Sauvignon aroma families
These aroma categories are characteristic of Cabernet Sauvignon. Other varieties have different focuses.
Fruit aromas are the most common and come directly from the grape, ranging from citrus through stone fruit to black berries.
Herbal aromas can be finely aromatic (sage) or grassy – a stylistic feature in some varieties, ripeness indicator in others.
Wood and toast aromas emerge from aging in oak barriques or larger wooden barrels.
Tertiary aromas that develop with bottle aging – typical of mature top wines.
Key regions
Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in the following regions of our atlas. Click to see wineries.
Wineries with Cabernet Sauvignon
359 curated profiles in our atlas grow Cabernet Sauvignon.
359 wineries
Gaja
Barbaresco · Barbaresco
Nebbiolo, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon
Château Lafite Rothschild
Pauillac · Pauillac
Cabernet Sauvignon ~70%, Merlot ~25%, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot ~5%
Château Latour
Pauillac · Pauillac
Cabernet Sauvignon ~76%, Merlot ~22%
Château Mouton Rothschild
Pauillac · Pauillac
Cabernet Sauvignon ~80%, Merlot ~16%, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot
Château Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan · Pessac
Merlot ~44%, Cabernet Sauvignon ~46%, Cabernet Franc ~10% — plus weltberühmter Weißwein
Château Margaux
Margaux · Margaux
Cabernet Sauvignon ~75%, Merlot ~20%, Petit Verdot & Cabernet Franc
Château Figeac
Saint-Émilion · Saint-Émilion
Cabernet Sauvignon ~35%, Cabernet Franc ~35%, Merlot ~30%
Château Pavie
Saint-Émilion · Saint-Émilion
Merlot ~60%, Cabernet Franc ~25%, Cabernet Sauvignon ~15%
Vieux Château Certan
Pomerol · Pomerol
Merlot ~70%, Cabernet Franc ~25%, Cabernet Sauvignon ~5%