Cabernet Sauvignon
Black-skinned, from France
Cabernet Sauvignon is a thick-skinned, late-ripening black grape that makes deeply coloured, tannic red wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a black-skinned Vitis vinifera grape that originated in France, most famously Bordeaux, where it has been grown since at least the 17th century. In 1997, DNA fingerprinting showed it is a crossing (two vinifera parents): Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
It is now one of the most widely planted wine grapes in the world, found in Bordeaux's Médoc and Graves, as well as in Chile's Maipo Valley, California, Australia, South Africa and many other regions.
Wines are typically full-bodied, deeply coloured and firmly tannic. Classic scents range from blackcurrant and cassis to cedar, cigar box and vanilla when oak-aged; underripe grapes can smell herbaceous or of green pepper. Bordeaux usually blends it with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and sometimes with Petit Verdot, while warmer regions often bottle it on its own.
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