Lately I’ve been devoting a lot of time to my upcoming Cabernet tasting. This is the second year in a row we’ve done an all-Cab event at my store, and these two events have generated the most interest of any of the others we have done. I’m not surprised. Cabernet has a very strong following, and most big-time wine people profess a love for the grape.
However, this is actually one of the hardest tasting for me to get ready for because it’s an area that doesn’t really excite me all that much. Don’t get me wrong–I really enjoy Cabs. I completely respect that many of the world’s finest wines are Cab (or Cab-based). There are plenty that I love. But at the same time I’ve just spent too much time in the wine business, and I get to the point where it’s just “big Cab…big Cab…big Cab…” and so on. I just don’t find the overall excitement that I do with Riesling, Syrah, or some other wines.
So, now that I’m in the final stages of my preparation I’ve decided I will debunk a few myths about Cabernet. These aren’t intended to take anything away from the wines, instead I hope it will give people like me who have started to lose interest in the wines something to get excited about. If nothing else, hopefully it will keep people more open-minded.
Myth #1: Cabernet is the true noble varietal in wine history. Big nope on this one. In fact, Cabernet really only showed up about two hundred years ago. Long before this particular varietal Cabernet Franc was the mainstay in Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, and it was the early 1800’s that a few key producers in the Medoc began to champion the grape. There are plenty of varietals with a much longer lineage of greatness.
Myth #2: The world’s greatest wines are made from Cabernet. This sentence just needs the words “many of” at the very front of it to be true. Yes, the First Growths of Bordeaux are dominated by Cab, and the Cult wines from Napa are pretty much exclusively Cabernets, but they don’t have the stage to themselves. When it comes to Parker 100 pointers the Syrah wines of the Northern Rhone and the Grenache blends of Chateauneuf du Pape are as well represented as the Left Bank wines. Burgundy throws a few names out as well and a larger portion of Right Bank wines (where Cabernet Sauvignon is only a small component) are also present. Then we could also talk about the white Rhones, Sauternes, Chardonnays, and Rieslings.
Myth #3: Cabernet is tough to grow. I’m not sure how widespread this rumor is, but over the past six months I’ve been surprised at how many people believe it takes a determined and talented farmer to produce Cabernet grapes. The vine is so vigorous it is normally recommended that you graft it to poor rootstock to inhibit growth, it will take in almost any type of warm climate at all, it has strong vine structure and thick skin which make it resistant to many of the natural enemies of a grape, and it is capable of producing massive yields. Admittedly it is late to ripen and in cooler climates may never fully get there, but that is an issue of pour selection by the grower. In many ways the greatest challenge with Cabernet vines is keeping them from getting too healthy.
Myth #4: Cabernet on its own shines brilliantly. I understand why people feel this way. US law dictates that if a wine is comprised of at least 75% one varietal it may be labeled as just a single varietal. Most of the top-notch California Cabs are never 100% Cabernet. Those Harlan wines that score so high? Blends. Screaming Eagle? Almost 100% Cab, but they mix in some other stuff as well. Pahlmeyer, Insignia, Montelena, Larkmead, and many of the other big name Cali Cabs incorporate at least a little of some of the other Bordeaux varietals. In fact, almost every single Cabernet that comes from Napa has something else blended into it. While I don’t want to question the integrity of winemakers, I personally am highly skeptical whenever I am presented a wine that is “100% Napa Valley Cabernet.” I know there are some out there, but they are definitely the exception.
Myth #5: Cabernet is the wine best suited for aging. Please, don’t even get me started on this. The best Cabernets age extremely well and develop in the bottle. So do the best Pinots, Syrahs, Chards, Rieslings, and Merlots.
Basically, Cabernet is vine that will grow just about any place where it is warm enough, and like the vine the grape is very adaptable. Even though the structure and color of the wine make it almost unmistakable in any setting it responds to individual conditions and treatments like almost no other grape. The fact is every part of the wine-growing world is capable of producing signature Cabernet, and each winemaker has the opportunity to express his or her own style. The myths of the singularly great Cabernet shouldn’t be a downer. They should encourage those who are bored with Cabernet of how much more is out there.
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