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Cabernet Sauvignon wine is a dry red made from Cabernet Sauvignon, the world's most planted wine grape, with about 340,000 hectares according to the OIV. It comes from Bordeaux, where it anchors the great blends of the Left Bank, and today it is grown in almost every wine country.

A Bordeaux cross: Cabernet Franc × Sauvignon Blanc

In 1997, DNA research at UC Davis, published in Nature Genetics, showed that Cabernet Sauvignon is a cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, a red and a white grape that met in Bordeaux vineyards. That makes it a half-sibling of Merlot, which shares Cabernet Franc as a parent.

Why Cabernet became the world's most planted wine grape

Cabernet is hardy, keeps its character in very different climates and makes wines that can age. After the 1976 Judgment of Paris, when California Cabernet held its own against classified Bordeaux wine, growers everywhere planted it.

What I learned wasn't that one region makes better Cabernet. It was that the same grape can speak two very different languages depending on where it's grown.

Leo, Founder & Curator

Cabernet Sauvignon tastes of blackcurrant, blackberry and dark cherry, often with cedar, tobacco, graphite or chocolate. It is dry and full-bodied, with more tannin than softer grapes like Merlot. Napa versions lead with ripe fruit; Bordeaux versions lead with structure and savory notes.

I describe it as a red wine with dark fruit, structure and personality. What really defines Cabernet for me is its structure. I explain tannins as that slightly drying sensation you get from strong black tea, and Cabernet often has more of it than Merlot.

Napa vs. Bordeaux: one grape, two languages

Napa often shows more generous, ripe black fruit, a fuller texture and a sense of immediate richness. Bordeaux, particularly on the Left Bank, tends to emphasize structure, freshness and more savory notes like cedar, tobacco, graphite and earth. These are generalizations, and the producer, vintage and age of the wine can change everything.

Why some Cabernet tastes like green bell pepper

That green, leafy note comes from pyrazines, compounds that are higher in grapes picked before they are fully ripe.

Three styles, not one

Price doesn't automatically determine which style a wine belongs to. And Bordeaux isn't necessarily more structured than Napa: both regions can produce elegant wines and powerful wines.

Cabernet Sauvignon gets its structure in the vineyard: small, thick-skinned berries give wines high in tannin, and the grape ripens one to two weeks after Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Winemaking then decides how much of that grip you feel.

Oak aging and Bordeaux blends

Most serious Cabernet spends time in oak barrels, which softens the tannins and adds cedar, vanilla or chocolate. In Bordeaux it is blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, so the label shows the château, not the grape.

What a Cabernet label tells you

In the U.S., a wine labeled Cabernet Sauvignon must contain at least 75% of the grape. If the label names an AVA such as Napa Valley, at least 85% of the grapes must come from that AVA. A Bordeaux label from Margaux or Pauillac tells you the place; on the Left Bank, Cabernet usually leads the blend.

Young vs. aged Cabernet: 3, 10 and 20 years

At about 3 years, Cabernet tastes of fresh blackcurrant and blackberry, with firm tannin and visible oak. At about 10, a structured bottle softens: the fruit turns darker and drier, and cedar, tobacco and leather come forward. At 20, only the most structured wines from strong vintages are still improving, with earthy, savory notes, a brick rim and sediment that calls for decanting.

The most important Cabernet Sauvignon regions are Napa Valley, Bordeaux's Left Bank, Paso Robles, Washington State, Chile's Maipo Valley and Australia's Coonawarra. Each gives the grape a different accent, so we go place by place.

Napa Valley

Napa is where California Cabernet made its name, with ripe black fruit and a full, rich texture. Caymus and Far Niente sit here, at very different points on the style scale. We cover the valley in depth in our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon collection.

Paso Robles and Sonoma

Paso Robles is warmer and more generous, which makes it a source of fruit-forward, easy-drinking Cabernet at friendly prices, like Foxglove. Browse Paso Robles wine.

Bordeaux Left Bank: Médoc and Graves

On the Left Bank, Cabernet thrives in the gravel soils of the Médoc, which drain well and hold heat. Margaux, Pauillac and Saint-Julien make the most structured, cedar-and-graphite versions; BriO de Cantenac Brown is a Margaux way in. See our Bordeaux wine.

Washington State

Cabernet Sauvignon is Washington's most widely planted red grape, and the Columbia Valley gives it dark fruit with fresh acidity. Explore Washington wine.

Chile: Maipo and Alto Maipo

Maipo, south of Santiago, is Chile's classic Cabernet valley, with blackcurrant, a minty edge and firm structure for the price. Pérez Cruz Piedra Seca comes from here. Start with our Chilean wine.

Australia: Coonawarra and Margaret River

In Coonawarra, a strip of red terra rossa soil marks where the best Cabernet is planted; Margaret River, in Western Australia, makes a more Bordeaux-like version. Find them in Australian wine.

A good Cabernet Sauvignon starts around $20, structured bottles from Bordeaux and Napa start near $50, and above $100 you are choosing between styles more than buying quality. This collection runs from under $20 to large formats for the cellar.

How to choose the best Cabernet Sauvignon under $20

Look for fruit-forward Cabernet from Paso Robles or Washington. Foxglove from Paso Robles and Powers from the Columbia Valley are easy, honest bottles for a weeknight.

Under $50: Washington, Chile and Bordeaux

With $50, I'd probably recommend BriO de Cantenac Brown from Margaux at $48. It's a great opportunity to meet the Bordeaux side of Cabernet. If you prefer ripe fruit and something more approachable, I'd point you toward Pérez Cruz from Chile at $26 instead. Spending the entire budget isn't always necessary.

Wines similar to Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

If you love Caymus because it's ripe, smooth and easy to enjoy, I'd start by showing you a more affordable, fruit-forward Cabernet like Foxglove or Powers. They're not exact substitutes, and I wouldn't promise the same richness, but they're interesting alternatives at a much lower price. If you want to stay with that generous Napa personality, I'd recommend Caymus itself at $70.

Cabernet for the cellar

With $200, Caymus Special Selection at $180 is the next step. But if you're looking for a more structured and restrained Napa Cabernet, I'd introduce you to Far Niente at $150: not necessarily an upgrade in quality, but another interpretation of Napa Cabernet. Far Niente also comes in magnum, a strong gift.

Cabernet Sauvignon pairs best with grilled red meat, lamb and hard aged cheese, because fat and protein soften its tannins. Balanced and structured bottles are excellent dinner wines, especially with grilled meats.

Cabernet Sauvignon with steak

Match richness to richness: a ribeye or a strip steak from the grill takes a ripe Napa or Paso Robles Cabernet, while leaner cuts and lamb show off the cedar and freshness of a Left Bank Bordeaux.

How to serve Cabernet Sauvignon

I like to serve Cabernet Sauvignon slightly cool, around 61 to 64°F, or 16 to 18°C. I prefer a generous Bordeaux-style glass, with enough room to swirl the wine and appreciate its aromas.

Should you decant Cabernet Sauvignon?

Only when it needs it. Take a young Caymus Napa: I would taste it first. If it seems a little closed, I might give it 20 to 45 minutes in a decanter. With an older bottle like a Special Selection, I'd pay closer attention to the vintage and the wine's condition. I make an important distinction between aging potential and the need to age a wine.