Dr. David Muhleman

The-Wine-Educator    WINE & SPIRITS EDUCATION AND CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE CONSUMER AND THE PROFESSIONAL

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

One of the challenges of describing wines is finding words that convey the same meaning to you as they do to the listener. So if I describe a wine having a prune flavor, that assumes that the listener has tried prunes and has some memory of what prunes taste like. So I’m going to try to explain Cabernet Sauvignon (hereafter referred to as “Cab.)

I’m a car guy, and if I was going to describe Cab in car terms I would say luxury Cadillac. If I was going to use cooking terms, it would be filet mignon. My wine book says “the grape with perhaps the widest reputation for the production of red wine. It is the great vine of the Medoc in Bordeaux and is widely planted throughout the world including Chile, Australia, California, and Bulgaria. It buds late, lessening the danger of damage from spring frosts, the grape-bunches are loosely formed, and the grapes are thick-skinned, have a high skin-to-pulp ratio and are resistant to rot and insects. It has a low yield. Because of the nature of the grape the resultant wine is full-bodied and tannic with a black currant taste, and ages well.” To most of my friends, Cab is simply the big dog, against which all others are measured.

To be honest there are really two Cabs: new world and old world. The differences are extreme. Old world Cabs are essentially French, since you find only a few Cabs from Italy (but those few are FANTASTIC) and none from Germany and very rarely from Spain. So when we talk about old world Cabs we are talking about French, and more specifically blends from the Bordeaux region. Most of your First Growth (high end) French Bordeaux have a predomarance of Cab (and some Cab Fanc, Merlot, Petite Verdoit, and Melbac). These wines need long age times, and often last 20 or more years before they are at their best.

Because of their boldness and full-bodiness Cabs are often the wine of choice with full flavored, bold, foods. Since Americans eat a lot of red meat (beef) Cabs have become the perfect choice to eat with steak. And although you can make an argument for a Merlot or a Zin or a blend to go with that steak/beef, there is rarely a wrong time to pair good beef with a good Cab.

New world Cabs have all the flavor and boldness of the French wines, but can be drank much younger, and enjoyed during this lifetime. I’ve picked five that I think are great examples of new world Cabs and suggest you give ‘em a try.

Tobin James is a wine maker from the Santa Barbara region (I’m sure it’s Paso Robles but to me all those appellations run together). Toby is a fun-loving winemaker that puts funny names on his wine and is a wonderful guy to meet. But more importantly, Toby makes some great Cabs. His most popular Cab is his James Gang Reserve which is a great wine for drinking now and goes with everything from burgers to barbeque. His “Notorious” Cab is what the name implies and if you are having real good friends over and you are serving a real good dinner, then a really good Cab (Notorious) is worth the price. Toby visits Tucson periodically and you should make the effort to meet him.

Another well know winemaker that makes great Cabs is Joel Gott. The winery is in Napa, but these Cab grapes come from several different locations in California (including Napa), thus the label simply lists “California” as the appellation. The good part about this is that Joel (and Sarah) can put out a great bottle of Cab that is also a great value. Joel is also part of the Three Thieves wines that put out a great day-to-day, daily drinker, in an old style jug. But if you are looking for a value in a Cab that you are going to buy this weekend and have with barbequed ribs, this is a great buy. Big and bold, but drinkable now.

I’m not a real big Cab drinker, but there are some Cabs out there that really do knock my socks off. My favorite in the “easy to spend” price range is Powers (out of Washington). Don’t let anyone tell you Washington is too cold and wet to make good Cabs. Eastern Washington is hot, and dry, and almost the same climate at Bordeaux, France (minus the maritime influence). And you can get some “oh my gosh” Cabs out of Eastern Washington that are as good or better, than anywhere else in the world. One of my favorites for smooth, full-bodied, easy drinking is Powers. I’ve been drinking Powers Cab (and Pinot) for at least 7 vintages and they just keep getting better and better all the time. Powers can benefit from a year or two of aging, but you can drink it now if you give it a couple hours of air. Nice juice for a nice rib eye dinner.

Most wine drinkers know the name Cakebread. This winery (in Napa) has been around for over 30 years making renowned wines. And they continue to make phenomenal Cabs. Cakebread does their normal Napa Cab with grapes from the local area. But they also make some low-production, single vineyard, Cabs that are very hard to come by. If you see one grab it when you see it and put it in your cellar; you’ll be glad you did. Cakebread is a definite balance between aging their wines before they market them and not holding them too long. My experience is that Cakebread Cabs can almost always benefit from a little “bottle time.” Like many winemakers, Cakebread does blend a little bit of merlot, cab franc, etc. to maintain a “house style” over the years; and it is a house style that puts Cakebread in a chateau. Give the wine 5 to 7 years from when it’s picked to when it’s at its best. So right now I’d be drinking the ‘01s (if I could) and putting the ‘03s away for a few years.

Finally Far Niente. Far Niente is a line from Nickel and Nickel, or more accurately Nickel and Nickel was a growth from Far Niente (and Dolce). Far Niente is the top of the line when it comes to California cabs. The luxury Cadillac. There are a few other wines in this category, but Far Niente is truly “top shelf.” Far Niente only makes Cabs and Chards, but they make several from several single vineyards (and a Napa blend). And they are all better than delicious; they are what California Cabs ought to taste like. Nickel and Nickel also do a single vineyard zin, but that’s another newsletter. And their Dolce may be the only winery in the US dedicated to a single dessert wine. To tell you how good Dolce is, it was the wine I drank for my 50th birthday celebration. But I digress; Far Niente Cab, single vineyard, or Napa, is wonderful.

Another way of knowing what wines are really good is to go to a wine industry trade show and see what wines are empty first; Far Niente is always the first Cab to be drank up by the people in the wine industry. I once told a customer if you want good wines; look at what the wine guys take home. There is a commercial running on the radio right now about beef and “it’s what dinner is all about.” Well I would say,” Cabs, it’s what big, bold, wines are all about.” Enjoy.