Weekly Saturday Tasting

Cabernet Sauvignon

Saturday, April 5th
1:00 - 3:00

For this week's Saturday Tasting we are going to focus on the king of reds - Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every wine growing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, such as California, Chile and Australia. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood. DNA profiling carried out in California in 1997 confirmed that Cabernet Sauvignon is the product of a natural genetic crossing between key Bordeaux grape varieties Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Most wine experts agree that this crossing happened only within the past few centuries, making the variety's global fame and dominance all the more impressive! Tying back to its Bordeaux roots (pun intended), many more wines labelled Cabernet Sauvignon are actually blends, as many believe the grape shines brightest when supported background elements of a variety of other grapes. For our tasting, we will sample some 100% Cabernet wines along with some Caberent dominant blends. We will sample four examples from four different areas around the globe - Chile, South Africa, and two distinct California appellaions in Paso Robles and Napa Valley. We hope to see you there!

In Situ Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon
90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Carmenère
Aconcagua Valley, Chile, 2022

Babylonstoren Cabernet Sauvignon
Simonsberg-Paarl, South Africa, 2022

Spring Street Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
Paso Robles, California, 2022

Keenan Winery 'Capstone'
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot
Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, California, 2020