By Aaron Gratch, Winemaker at Cellar Beast Winehouse
Key Characteristics at a Glance
- Aging potential: Cabernet Sauvignon is a red wine grape variety I’ve always admired for its structure and longevity. With thick skins and robust tannins, it’s built to age.
- Flavor profile: Expect black fruit flavours—black currant, blackberry, black cherry—with herbal notes and hints of green bell pepper, especially in cooler climate sites.
- Color intensity: High anthocyanin content gives it a deep ruby to garnet color that evolves into a brick red over time.
- Climate adaptability: Although adaptable, Cabernet Sauvignon thrives in warm climates, where ripeness levels produce rich, fruity flavors and a robust structure.
- Full-bodied style: This wine is all about layered flavors—fruit, spice notes from oak, and often earthy notes that build complexity with time.
Cabernet Sauvignon’s Origins
Cabernet Sauvignon is a natural cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc—a fact I find poetic given its structure and acidity. Its Bordeaux roots date to the 17th century, but its global journey took off in the 20th century. Today, it’s planted in major wine regions like Napa Valley, Maipo Valley, and South Africa, and remains the world’s most widely planted red wine grape.
Understanding the Grape
This varietal is a winemaker’s dream in many ways:
- Thick skins create high tannin content and deep color.
- It’s a late-ripening grape variety, which allows it to hang longer for optimal flavor development.
- It’s disease-resistant and well-suited for mountain vineyards and fertile soil alike.
- It expresses terroir—everything from rocky soils to maritime climate impacts its aromatic compound structure.
Cabernet Sauvignon Taste Profile
From my cellar to our tasting room, the Cabernet Sauvignon taste profile never fails to impress:
- Primary fruit flavors: blackcurrant, dark cherry, cassis
- Cooler regions: vegetal aromas, minty notes, green pepper
- Oak aging: vanilla, tobacco, pencil shavings, cigar box
- With age, it develops savory characteristics, spice notes, and earthy flavors
We ferment slowly, use less than 30% new French oak, and let the grape do the talking. Uniquely different than other varietals like Syrah or Merlot.
Color and Visual Traits
You can often spot a good Cab by its color:
- Young wines: opaque ruby with hints of bluishness
- Aged wines: garnet fading to brick red
- Color clues: They hint at extraction, alcohol content, and aging potential
What Shapes Its Flavor?
- Climate: Warm climates yield jammy fruit; cool climate = herbaceous notes, green bell pepper flavour
- Soil: Deep gravel soils and schist soils help root penetration, concentrating flavors
- Winemaking: Long fermentation, careful tannin extraction, and French oak aging are our standard
- Vineyard practices: Pruning, leaf blade management, and harvesting timing all matter
Stats & Facts on Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2023 California acreage: 95,638 acres
- 15% of the total crush
- Napa’s price/ton: $9,235
- Global status: #1 planted red wine grape worldwide
- Source: WineInstitute.org, USDA/NASS
Why We Make Several Cabernet Sauvignons at Cellar Beast
As a winemaker, it’s essential to work with vineyards that offer nuance. That’s why we produce a few different Cabernets:
- Yakima Valley AVA: Bright acidity, black cherry, earthy tones, and great lift
- Red Heaven Vineyard, Red Mountain: Bold flavors, robust tannins, layered structure
- Quintessence Vineyard, Red Mountain: More floral notes, spice, and elegance
- Horse Heaven Hills AVA: In past vintages, this gave us a fruit-forward, approachable style
Each wine is a single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon that reflects its unique site. I use restrained oak—rarely more than 30% new—to preserve varietal character and let the wine age on its terms.
FAQs
What flavors are in Cabernet Sauvignon?
Black currant, blackberry, mint, tobacco, and green bell pepper. Some wines even show dark chocolate and herbal flavors.
What does Cabernet look like in the glass?
Deep ruby to garnet, becoming brick red with age—typical of full-bodied wines with high tannin levels.
How long does it age?
Top Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines can age 10–30 years thanks to their tannic structure and acidity.
Is it dry or sweet?
Cabernet Sauvignon is typically dry, often with alcohol levels ranging from 13.5% to 15%.
Cab vs. Merlot?
Cab is firmer and more structured; Merlot is softer, with notes of plum and chocolate.
Can you eat Cabernet grapes?
Technically yes, but they’re optimized for wine, not snacking—they’re packed with intense tannins.
About the Author: Aaron Gratch
I’m a Winemaker, House Sommelier, and Tasting Room Manager at Cellar Beast Winehouse. Cabernet Sauvignon has constantly challenged and inspired me—it’s a grape that doesn’t give away its secrets easily. But when it’s grown in the right place and made with respect, it becomes one of the world’s most expressive and age-worthy wines in the wine industry. At Cellar Beast, we’re proud to offer wine drinkers a few interpretations of this varietal, each shaped by terroir, technique, and time.
