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Cabernet Sauvignon Styles

To assist you in understanding more about the Cabernet Sauvignon grape and the wines styles it produces, we have put together a list of the wine styles and some of the wines from our catalogue that fit into each of the categories. Have a good look around and enjoy tasting your Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

If you would like to learn more about Cabernet Sauvignon through one of our tasting workshops, please do contact us and we'd be pleased to help.

Bordeaux wine using Cabernet Sauvignon

The classic style of Cabernet Sauvignon wines still rests with Bordeaux and we have a number of examples, using Cabernet Sauvignon to varying degrees:

For a good example of early drinking claret, the Chateau Beaumont 2002, offers all the main characteristics of good quality Bordeaux for a modest price.

Moving up the quality ladder, the Chateau Potensac 2002 offers a more structured wine, drinking well now but capable of aging for another 5 to 7 years.

For the ultimate in Bordeaux, try Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2004 . This wine is really built for the long term, but after 10 to 15 years it will start to develop into classic, blackcurrant and cedar Bordeaux and has the ability to last until 2040 at least.

New World Bordeaux style blends

Australia is a great source of Cabernet Sauvignon and the Balnaves Cabernet Merlot 2002 offers a benchmark example of its style showing a lovely blackcurrant fruit with a rich, fleshy character, but with an underlying structure of soft tannins. A "straight" Balnaves Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 is also available.

For the ultimate Aussie Bordeaux blend, look no further than the Cullen "Diana Madeline" Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2005 . This is a truly world class wine, capable of competing with some of the best of Bordeaux.

And finally, for the ultimate expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from the new world, Ridge Monte Bello 2004. The 1971 vintage of this wine beat many great Bordeaux wines at the famous 1976 "Judgement of Paris" tasting, much to the consternation of the French judges. The wine however, has continued to impress and it repeated its 1976 victory in a 2006 re-run of the event, winning with both the 1971 and 2000 vintages.

Unblended Cabernet Sauvignon

For a "pure" expression of the grape, it is worth looking at the Viña Leyda Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 , a wine from Chile offering an attractive and early drinking style.

And for a run through the quality levels available for the unblended grape, do have a look at the Catena Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 , the Catena Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 and the Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

More Information

We hope you've enjoyed reading a little bit about Cabernet Sauvignon and have learned a little something along the way.

If you would like to explore Cabernet Sauvignon in more detail, please take a look at our featured mixed cases where you can sample great examples of Cabernet Sauvignon at discounted prices.

And of course, if you would like any further information on any of the information in these articles, please do not hesitate to contact us