Cabernet Sauvignon
Wine 1:
Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Rutherford - 14% ABV
Region: Rutherford AVA, Napa Valley, CA
Although the main vineyards of Napa Valley cover only around 50 km, they contain some of the most expensive vineyard sites in California, and Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 40% of the area’s total production. The Napa Valley AVA is contained by the Mayacamas Mountains to the west, and the Vaca Mountains to the East, and there are vineyards located throughout the valley floor and along both sides. There are a large number of sub-regions within Napa Valley, depending on their location, and, despite it being a warmer climate region, this is tempered by the morning fog and cooling breezes from the San Pablo Bay to the south.
Wine 2:
Lapostolle ‘Cuvée Alexandre’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 - 14.5% ABV
Region: Apalta D.O., Colchagua Valley, Chile
Located in a valley between the coastal mountain range to the west and the Andes to the east, this warm climate is cooled by the Humboldt current flowing along the coast in the Pacific Ocean, while cool air descends from the Andes in the evenings. This leads to a large diurnal range during the growing season, which in turn allows for the grapes to achieve phenolic ripeness while retaining a high level of acidity.
Cabernet Sauvignon is arguably the most well known grape variety, and it is the most planted Vitis Vinifera variety in the world. A crossing between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, this thick skinned black grape variety is used to make blends and single varietal wines in Bordeaux, California, Tuscany, South Africa, Australia, Chile, and more. Because it is late budding and late ripening, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes tend to grow best in warmer climates, where they are able to fully ripen, producing medium to full-bodied wines with pronounced aromas of blackcurrant and black plum and high levels of tannin.
Both of these wines presented in this blind tasting feature the iconic black fruit and herbaceous flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as realtively high levels of tannin and alcohol. Both of the wines were matured in French oak barrels, resulting in aromas and flavors of cedar, baking spice, and vanilla. The Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon has lower alcohol, more acidity, and a more austere mouthfeel than the Rutherford Cabernet due to the overall cooler temperatures of Apalta. The Lapostolle is from a more recent vintage, and the fruit flavors are brighter, and the tannins present as grippier, whereas the Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon has softer tannins and more developed aromas and flavors, including dried black fruit, leather, forest floor, and earthier notes.
