On the Central Coast, Bruce Hansen has become affectionately known as the “King of Cabs.” Boasting an incredible menu that generally has 4 or more vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon, when visitors come to the Central Coast wanting to try the best Cabs, they are quickly sent here to us. Bruce’s Cabs are continuously changing and you will notice all of the different tasting notes in each of his wines. Please enjoy this Guide to Cabernet Sauvignon so that you understand more about Bruce’s wines before you visit.
Cabernet Sauvignon [Cah-bare-nay so-veen-yawn] is the king of the red wine grape varieties. It offers wonderful flavors consisting of blackcurrants, blackberry, chocolate, tar and leather. The beauty of this resilient red wine grape is the many different styles of wine it is capable of yielding.
From the fresh, easy-drinking fruit-forward styles to the intensely big, dense and complex wines with firm tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in the gravelly soils of the Left Bank of Bordeaux and grows particularly well in California’s Napa Valley.
Aromas
Dark Fruit – Blackcurrant, Blackberry, Plum, Raisin
Oak – Oak, Cedar, Smoke, Vanilla, Spice, Pepper
Complex – Chocolate, Coffee, Tobacco, Earth, Herb
Flavors
Dark Fruit – Blackcurrant, Blackberry, Plum, Raisin
Oak – Oak, Cedar, Smoke, Vanilla, Spice, Pepper
Complex – Chocolate, Coffee, Tobacco, Earth, Herb
Styles
Fresh Fruit/Easy Drinking – Filled with fresh and bright fruit and easy drinking
Intense Fruit/Ripe Tannins – Great fruit flavors and medium bodied with detectable tannins
Elegant – Medium to full bodied with succulent fruit flavors, complexity and soft tannins
Highly Concentrated Fruit/Firm Tannins – Full bodied and dense with loads of fruit flavors and ample tannins
Bordeaux – Left Bank – Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Margaux, Graves (Pessac-Léognan)
California – Napa Valley, Alexander Valley, Central Coast
Washington State – Columbia Valley
Other – Australia, Argentina, Italy (Super Tuscans) and Chile
While being challenged recently by Merlot, it is still one of the world’s most popular and widely planted red wine grape varieties. It is one of the most important grapes in Bordeaux and most of California’s most prized and expensive wines are predominately Cabernet Sauvignon. Despite being planted in virtually every red-wine-producing region in the world, Cabernet usually retains its intense character.
Cabernet Sauvignon, like Chardonnay, loves oak aging. It is arguably the most age-worthy dry wine produced. The Cabernet Sauvignon produced today is “ready to drink” upon release. Yes, certainly some of them would benefit from a few years of bottle aging but they are not anywhere near the unapproachable, big tannin wines made in the past.
When drinking, it is important to remember its versatility. Its aromas and flavors are vast, including dark or black fruit consisting of black currant, blackberry, plum, raisin and blueberry, not to mention the flavors and aromas integrated through oak influence including cedar, vanilla, smoke, pepper and spice. A majority of the higher–tier Cabernets display complex flavors and aromas that are mostly influenced by the region the Cabernet is produced in and the winemaking techniques. Included in these are chocolate, coffee, tobacco, earth, herbs and even tar. Remember, these are subtle hints and flavors; the fruit should dominate in quality Cabernet Sauvignon.
There are four distinct styles in which Cabernet Sauvignon may be classified:
1. The first is the easy drinking, fresh and fruity style. These are made for everyday consumption and contain little to no tannins.
2. The next style, which is a step up, is the intense fruit and ripe tannin category. These reds offer loads of fruit which explode on the palate and ripe, detectable tannins.
3. The next level which offers more complexity, is the elegant style. These Cabernet Sauvignons offer soft, integrated tannins with succulent and velvety fruit flavors and pair wonderfully with food.
4. The final style is the highly concentrated fruit category with firm tannins. These are the full-bodied, dense and big Cabernets with firm tannins, which with a little aging will soften, revealing complex and refined fruit flavors.
Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the left bank communes of Bordeaux, thriving in the gravelly soil of Graves, Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Julien and Saint-Estèphe. The Cabernet Sauvignon produced in these prestigious communes is amazingly complex and elegant with well-integrated fruit and tannins. The other famous appellation producing world-renowned Cabernet is the Napa Valley in California. These marvelous red wines display intense to highly concentrated fruit with ripe tannins. The depth of character and fruit Cabernet reaches in Bordeaux and Napa are just extraordinary. Cabernet also produces memorable wines in Australia, Chile, Washington State and Argentina.
