Tasting Notes
Powerful modern reds with the ability to age. - A typically New World style of wine characterized by ripe fruit, firm tannins and massive popularity.
Vineyard Notes
The Central Coast AVA in California covers the long stretch of coastline from San Francisco Bay south to Santa Barbara, and reaches inland from the Pacific Ocean to the borders of the Central Valley. . The cool climate in much of the Central Coast AVA is excellently suited to the Burgundy varieties of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, despite the fact that the northernmost part of the region is a full 10 degrees closer to the equator than Burgundy (at latitude 47°N). The hotter, more inland areas of the Central Coast are also good for Zinfandel, which is planted in San Benito County and Paso Robles. Cabernet Sauvignon does well in the higher-altitude parts of the AVA, particularly in the Santa Cruz Mountains north of Monterey Bay.
Winemaking Notes
One of the most famous red wine grape varieties on Earth, Cabernet Sauvignon is rivaled only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. As if to underline this, wine-searcher's most popular Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine is the cult Californian Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
