The Cork Guy
EDMOND — Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world’s finest red wine grapes. Arguably it has been hailed as the king of grapes. However, depending on your taste the other grape that Australia is know for is Shiraz, which like I said depending on your taste and how the wine is crafted may give the Cabernet Sauvignon lover a pause.
From Bordeaux to California and increasingly in Italy and even Chile, Cabernet makes great red wines. Australia is no exception in making great Cabernet in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the Hunter Valley. Though different in make up from California Cabs, in particular from the Napa Valley, they hold their own in a different sort of way. As always try to expand your palate and try the different regions where grapes are grown.
Cabernet grapes tend to be thick skinned with bunches of small berries, and also only give moderate-sized crops in general. This means that wines made from these grapes will have plenty of skins from which to get color, flavor and tannin, and have plenty of flavors as a finished wine. Flavors also are derived from the barreling used and what type. But that is for another article.
Cabernet-based wines tend to be quite tannic when they are young, but aged very gracefully with a softening of the tannin and the slow development of complexity, cedar and cigar box aromas will emerge on the nose. In regions where the grapes do not quite ripen there can be a “capsicum” sometimes referred to as a green bell pepper taste or “green bean” character. This can add complexity to the wine, but if more than a trace it tends to distract from the experience and be a fault.
Very ripe Cabernets from warm climates tend to be less distinctively Cabernet, and develop chocolate and richer flavors, and while delicious young, do not cellar as well. The flavor profile in Cabernets tends to be black and red currant, blackberry, cherry and cassis, with occasional hints of mint, chocolate and even regional earthiness.
Regional versions or D.O.’s of this wine can be noted and I will mention these below along with some recommended vineyards to try from each region, which consistently produce quality wines. Please visit your local wine shop or Feldman’s to find out more about these vineyards. Each vineyard or producer will have different bottling at varying price points depending on the quality of the wine and whether it is estate grown, single vineyard or a blend.
Following are some recommendations:
• Coonawarra — Consistently Australia’s best Cabernets are made in the Coonawarra region of South Australia. This is a small cigar shaped region with red “Terra Rossa” soils over limestone, free draining and with a cool climate. The wines from here tend to be well balanced with a very good cellar potential
• Barossa Valley — The warm climate here tends to produce richer dark and fleshy wines with typical chocolate hints. Blackberry more than blackcurrant is often the dominant fruit flavor.
• Victoria — In Central Victoria there is often a mint/eucalyptus hint to these wines over classic cassis and blackcurrant.
• Margaret River — Very good region indeed for Cabernet wines, slight gravelly hints with red berry fruit and usually great length and cellaring ability.
• Hunter Valley — Very regional as all their reds seems to be, earthy style whose regional nature continues as they age.
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