If you're looking for more content on Cabernet Sauvignon based wines, be sure to check this link on the wines of Bordeaux. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-J9-_KyBhKEg.html
Wow! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. You have a gift for explaining your passion for wine. I’m surprised you don’t have more subscribers. Please keep it coming.
Napa wines did take first place for white and red at the Judgement of Paris however most of the Napa red wines entered finished towards the bottom. It did put Napa on the wine map anyway.
Another great video. Bob, Cabernet is such a tricky varietal for me. When it’s good, it’s really good. But it can also be expensive and disappointing. If I get a $40-50 bottle of zin or syrah, I generally know it’s going to be tasty and an interesting variation of varietal character and place. But a $40 bottle of cab is a crapshoot. Too much oak, too flabby, not integrated, too generic-tough to know what to expect, unless I’m familiar with the producer and vintage.
Thanks for the good feedback. Truth be told, I don’t drink a lot of Cab Sauv. As you mentioned, there are often other options that bring better value. For me, it’s usually Grenache blends, Zin and Syrah are both in my short list as well. Cheers. 🍷
I've found that it's become trendy among professionals to look down on pyrazines and I can't understand why. Sure, there's cabs that are filled to the brim with pyrazines, but I also find off-putting levels of diacetyl in many, MANY low-priced whites that undergo spontaneous MLC, and that doesn't mean diacetyl is itself a bad thing (and it's not even a primary aroma). I personally love the quirky touch of bell pepper here and there, and I certainly wouldn't rather have a wine business where it's avoided at all costs because the critique says so.
Hi Juan, thanks for the detailed comment. I’m ok with a bit of Pyrazine, just like I’m ok with a bit of Brett. Funky wines are often the most interesting.
"maybe it's kissed a toothpick" 😂 got to remember that one. Interesting vid and thanks for going into detail about the grape and what it's capable of and why. Question... Why does a wine go transparent at the meniscus? Thanks!
I was curious to see if anyone caught that comment. 😂 As for your question, it’s simple a matter of color extraction. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon typically has more color density versus Pinot Noir. The latter will show more fade at the rim of the glass. Also, as a wine ages, color compounds will gradually bond into long chain molecules and fall out of the solution in the form of sediment. Slow oxidation is another contributing factor.
Great, informative video, thanks. Glad you mentioned "Judgement of Paris"--its a great book, but I found the most interesting part of it was not the actual tasting--it was the description of the combination of factors in Napa the 60's and 70's that propelled it forward so quickly on production of consistent, high quality wines. Low cost/barriers to entry, partnership with UC Davis, and cooperative culture among the new winemakers in the valley. If you are looking for topics for future videos, that would be a good one!
I read recently about Steven Spurrier, the clever mind behind that famous competition that you mention in the video and got fascinated by him. Also, I seem to recall that he would never pay more than £50 for a bottle of wine. Brilliant! P.S may he rest in peace.
Good video Bob, but I can't believe you didn't mention Margaret River when talking about Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia. These days Margaret River is considered the premier region for Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia. It is the home of world-class producers such as Cullen, Moss Wood, Vasse Felix, Voyager Estate, Deep Woods Estate, Xanadu, Cape Mentelle, etc.
Thank you posting a comment. When editing the final video, I noticed that Margaret River was not mentioned. Perhaps I should’ve added text to call it out. I recently had a bottle of Moss Wood Cab, beautiful wine. Cheers. 🍷
You mentioned Cab is not a great choice for spicy foods. I'd appreciate a video talking about how to pair wine with spicy foods. I keep hearing to avoid higher alcohol, but tequila and mezcal are classic pairings for spicy Mexican food, work well, and certainly have much higher alcohol than any wine. So why does mezcal work so well with Oaxaca cuisine while Cab does not?
Good question. A lot of it has to do tannin in red wine. Spicy foods accentuate the tannin making the wine seem more astringent and courser. Lighter red, lower in alcohol generally has less tannin as well. Tannin is derived mostly from the grape skins. I hope that helps. BTW, I’m a fan of both Tequila and Mezcal.
Re: The Judgement of Paris - The scoring system was very flawed as they gave no basis for how the judges should score the wines and so scores ranged from 3/20 up to the high teens. To me a 3 would be incredibly unpleasant if not undrinkable, which all the wines presented certainly weren't. So it seemed some judges were scoring based on a relative scale while others were judging on an absolute scale. I re-ran the scores based instead on each judge's rankings (10 points for their highest rated down to 1 for their lowest rated, averaging any ties) rather than nominal scores and Haut-Brion actually came out on top with Stag's Leap falling to second, Montrose moving up to third, and Margaux falling all the way to fourth. Just food for thought.
Thank you for the detailed comment. Very interesting. I didn’t realize the scoring system was egregiously flawed. I met Steven Spurrier a couple of times at wine competitions in the UK, although we never judged on the same panel. Given the chance, I would’ve liked to discuss The Judgement of Paris with him. Cheers.
funny you mention Georgia, actually only appellation that has a non Georgian grape variety is Cabernet Sauvignon based, it is called Teliani and not many wines are produced within that appellation. having said that, I have tried Cabernets from that specific region and I have to say, they are amazing. so, even if plantings of Cabernet is very limited in Georgia, results are phenomenal 😊 p.s. it also blends beautifully with Saperavi
With Cabernet Sauvignon, the use of oak to varying degrees is nearly universal. You might be better off with Cabernet Franc. Look for Chinon, an appellation from Loire. Little or no oak is used. Another option is lesser expensive Bordeaux, so called petit chateaux. Many will be under $20, most have little oak. I hope that helps.
