REVIEW OF CABERNET SAUVIGNON FOR THE WSET LEVEL 2 PRACTICE TEST
Below you’ll find a summary of Cabernet Sauvignon geared to WSET Level 2 students, but it should be helpful for students at any level to review with. Once you’ve read through, you can check out the Level 2 practice test on Cabernet here.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a black grape from Southwest France. It has pronounced black fruit and herbaceous aromas, high tannins, and high acidity. It can make outstanding quality reds that will mature for many years in the bottle. It’s a star in many of the most famous wines from Bordeaux in France, and many examples are made throughout the wine world.
Cabernet Sauvignon Characteristics
Cab thrives in moderate and warm climates. It has thick skins that contain high levels of flavor, tannin, and colour. It needs a long growing season with adequate warmth in order to ripen fully.
As a wine, it will have deep colour, be dry, high in both acidity and tannins, with a medium to full body. Flavours include black fruit, herbal (mint), and herbaceous notes of green bell pepper.
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Winemaking and Maturation
Cabernet is often found as a single varietal wine, but can be blended with Merlot, which help soften the high levels of tannin and acidity in the wine, especially in cooler vintages and regions.
Oak aging can help soften the tannins. The wines are often matured in barrel for several months or years before bottling. This allows the wine to oxygenate, softening the tannins. New oak barrels also give a secondary flavours, such as vanilla, clove, cedar, and sometimes a smokey note. With time the wine can develop tertiary flavors such as earth, forest floor and dried fruit; this will also help the tannins further soften.
Important Regions for Cabernet
France: Left Bank Bordeaux (Haut-Médoc: Margaux, Pauillac. Graves: Pessac-Léognan), Languedoc-Roussillon (Pays d’Oc). Merlot a key blending partner.
USA: California (Napa valley: Oakville Rutherford Calistoga. Sonoma Valley).
Chile: Central Valley (Maipo and Colchagua Valleys). Blending partners include Merlot and Carmenère. Success with fresh, fruity, less tannic style enjoyed at a younger age.
South Africa: Stellenbosch. Key blending partner, Pinotage in Cape Blend.
Australia: Margaret River, Coonawarra.
New Zealand: Hawke’s Bay.
Important Labeling Terms for Bordeaux
Château: an estate or a producer wine made from grapes grown on the producers land
Grand Cru Classé/Cru Classé: classifications ranking the best wines and châteaux. considered a strong indication of quality, expensive and sought after wines that can mature for many years in bottle.
Cru Bourgeois: wines from the Médoc, not classified as GCC can apply to use CB on their label. Generally not as expensive as classified châteaux but can range from very good to outstanding in quality.