Cabernet Sauvignon from around the world, from the Napa Valley to the Andes

Cabernet Franc is one of the two parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Sauvignon Blanc. Franc ripens earlier and gives lighter, more floral wines with notes of raspberry and graphite. Sauvignon brings more colour, tannin and blackcurrant, and needs more heat. The two are often blended, as in Sassicaia. See also our Cabernet Franc range.

The green pepper note comes from pyrazines, molecules naturally present in the grapes. They decrease as the berries ripen in the sun. A cool vintage, overly vigorous vines or an early harvest let them show through. When subtle, the note adds freshness; when pronounced, it betrays grapes picked too early. Cabernets from Napa, Mendoza or Coonawarra show very little of it.

It all depends on the price tier. An everyday Cabernet aged in tank is best drunk within three years. A terroir Cabernet aged in barrel benefits from five to ten years' wait. The great cuvées of Napa, Coonawarra or Bolgheri age for twenty years or more: the tannin melts, and blackcurrant evolves towards cedar, tobacco and forest floor.

Cabernet's tannin calls for protein and fat: rib of beef, duck breast, roast lamb, game birds or hard cheeses such as aged Comté. Young, fruity Cabernets go well with a burger or meat pasta. Avoid very spicy or vinegary dishes, which harden the tannin. For more ideas, see our tannic reds.

The Médoc, on the left bank of Bordeaux, blends Cabernet with Merlot in an oceanic climate: the wine is fresher and more linear, with moderate alcohol. The Napa Valley, hotter and drier, gives riper fruit, rounder tannins and often more noticeable oak. The best Napas nonetheless keep real freshness, like those from the valley.

It is a wine that blends the red grape varieties of Bordeaux: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and sometimes Malbec. Cabernet provides the structure, Merlot the roundness, Franc the perfume, Petit Verdot the colour. The model has been exported everywhere: Glenelly in Stellenbosch, Te Mata in Hawke's Bay and Staglin in Rutherford all follow the principle.

A young, powerful Cabernet benefits from one to two hours in a decanter: air softens the tannin and opens up the black fruit aromas. An old vintage is decanted at the last minute, mainly to remove the sediment. Serve it at 16–18 °C, in a large Bordeaux glass that lets the wine breathe.

Argentina and Chile offer the best prices: generous sunshine, high-altitude vineyards and tank fermentation give clean fruit and supple tannins. Doña Paula Los Cardos is €9.40 a bottle, Caelum Terroir €13.41. To see the full selection within this budget, use the €20 filter.

Napa Valley land is among the most expensive in the wine world, yields from the best plots are low and the wines are aged in new French oak barrels. Add to that tiny volumes and worldwide demand. At Bond, each cuvée comes from a single vineyard, hence a price of €1,045 a bottle.