About Cabernet Sauvignon

About Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is a variety that is the source of some of the world’s most celebrated and longest-lived reds. Grown in many countries, it is most famous in Bordeaux, where it is the principal grape in red Bordeaux as well as in California – especially Napa Valley- where it is labeled by its varietal name.

Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas and flavors of black currant, cassis, black cherry and sometimes plum (in warmer regions or vintages). Quite rich on the palate, the variety is very tannic, giving its wines a bitter edge in their youth, but also providing the wines with great aging potential, with top flight examples drinking well for as long as four or five decades. Given their richness and flavor profile, wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon need to be paired with rich red meats, such as steaks and roasts as well as game.

Besides France and California, other countries with warm growing regions also excel with Cabernet Sauvignon. These include the Maipo and Colchagua Valleys in Chile as well as the Bolgheri district, situated on the coast of Tuscany.

Top Picks for Cabernet Sauvignon

Mira Winery 2012 Schweizer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
97 points
$300
Calls to mind some of the top Napa Cabs from the 1980's, does all of the right Napa things without going too far with the ripe fruit and barrels; quite special.
Vineyard {511} 2013  Cabernet Sauvignon
96 points
$159
With mountain fruit that is purely delightful, this is just beginning to show some maturity but has a very long life ahead.
Jacob Franklin 2011 Single Barrel Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
95 points
$150
A complex and layered savory Cabernet with Napa ripeness and Old World style and swagger with all four grapes playing their proper symphonic role.
Vineyard {511} 2014  Cabernet Sauvignon
95 points
$159
A beautiful wine today with the rich oak character leaning towards dessert and the capacity to age for decades as it slowly shows more of its savory side.
Alexander Valley Vineyards 2020 Organically Grown Cabernet Sauvignon
95 points
$34
An opulent Cabernet that will become more expressive with decanting or cellar age; bold ripe fruit and vanilla right now with an earthy palate.
Cerro 2019  Cabernet Sauvignon
95 points
$50
A delicious and super supple Napa Cabernet that delights the palate with a panoply of fruit and oak flavors.
Arrington Vineyards 2021 KB 15*21 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points
$58
With its restrained oak, this Cab Sauv is able to show off its high quality of complex, phenolically ripe mountain fruit; a real winner.
Vineyard {511} 2015  Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points
$149
Big bold and beautiful, this unctuous Cabernet Sauvignon will delight and dazzle.
Jarvis 2014 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points
$210
So big and opulent but there is no denying this is delicious and will easily age several more decades.
Kirkland Signature 2020  Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points
$9
Best Buy
Vibrant ripe red and black fruit paired with an excellent balance of vanilla and spice from the oak; just plain delicious.
94 points $9 Best Buy