Cabernet Sauvignon

When young, Cabernet Sauvignon is fruity, often tannic with a strong bouquet and notes of blackcurrant and liquorice. As a late-ripening variety, it needs warm sites so that the wines do not taste grassy. The strong tannins require longer ageing and the use of small wooden barrels is almost obligatory, complementing the varietal type. The classic, international Cabernet strongholds are still Bordeaux and many countries of the so-called New World, such as California and Chile, but also the entire Mediterranean region, as the great growths of the Tuscan Maremma well demonstrate.