Wine Lesson #6: Grape Talk – Cabernet Sauvignon (Part 2/2)

LESSON #6: Grape Talk – Cabernet Sauvignon (Part 2/2)
Bordeaux's Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild and Latour, America's Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak Napa Valley, Heitz Martha's Vineyard, Opus One and BV George de Latour and Italy's Sassicaia, what do these legendary wines have in common? It's a grape called Cabernet Sauvignon.

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HEALTH
Second to Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon comes packed with a high concentration of resveratrol which researches prove to help our bodies increase our good (High Density) cholesterol. Viticulture tells us that Cabernet Sauvignon grapes produce resveratrol to protect themselves, not us. Humans are not the only ones with a keen interest in longevity. Wines need a long life span to have any chance of achieving greatness.

Like all varietals, there are great renditions and there are the mediocre versions. And then there are the superstars from which legends are born such as these wines, recognized as wines of the last century. They are based primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon.

1945 Château Mouton-Rothschild
1961 Château Latour
1959 Château Lafite-Rothschild
1900 Château Margaux
1929 Château Haut-Brion
1974 Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
1968 Beaulie Vineyard George de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Down a notch, there are hundreds of labels to choose from. Try a Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon, a Silver Oak Napa Cab or a classic like Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou and Calon Segur. Bear in mind that Cabernet Sauvignon needs time to age and mature before it can show you what it's got. Drinking a Cab too young is punishment on both the palate and the wallet. A minimum of 10 years of age would be a good rule for a good Cab. Even the good wines from New-World regions are beginning to emphasize cellar-worthiness.

Merlot, Shiraz, Zindanfel, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, they come, they shine and they retire. If there is any constant in the fluid world of (red) wine, it that the fact that Pinot Noir will always be noble but Cabernet Sauvignon will always be poured when the minds are tired of making choices and decisions.

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