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In the Spotlight

The flavours of Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the great wines of the world. Surprising since it is a relatively recent crossing of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. At different climates it shows the hallmarks relating back to its parentage.
Cabernet Sauvignon grows in a range of climates from intermediate, warm and occasionally hot. In climates that are a bit cool, the plentiful tannins that Cabernet Sauvignon has can be quite green and astringent. The flavours from cooler climates are dominated by a group of chemicals known as pyrazines. These give the wine tomato stalk, green pepper and herby flavours. The pyrazines decrease the longer the grapes are exposed to light so riper wines tend to loose these flavours. Mint and eucalyptus flavours are quite common in cooler regions such as Coonawarra and Washington State. Some people believe that the eucalyptus oils from nearby eucalyptus trees cause this flavour. While it does appear to be quite believable, the flavours still appear in wines from similar climates with no trees for miles.
Once the grapes start to ripen into more fruit flavours Cabernet Francs blackberry starts to appear. The main flavour for Cabernet is blackcurrant. It is the corner stone of typicity. The flavour comes from it's Sauvignon Blancs parentage and occurs in some Sauvignon Blancs as they get very ripe. The best cabernet wines often exhibit a clean clearly defined blackcurrant flavour, and this is the lead flavour in many cabernet dominated Bordeaux and to a lesser extent Californian wines. On warmer years and warmer climates black cherry flavours can also come into the mix.
If the temperature gets too high during ripening, the wines start to lose its distinctively typical blackcurrant flavour and become more plumy and even jammy.
The aged characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon are mixed up tightly with the use of oak. But if oaked and aged well, the flavours can include cedar cigar box and pencil shavings.


Cool Climate Flavours
• Does Not Grow here

Intermediate Climate Flavours
• Tomato stalk
• Green bell pepper
• Herby
• Mint / eucalyptus(Coonawarra, Washington State)
• Black Berry
• Black Current (cassis)

Warm Climate Flavours
• Black cherry
• Plumy
• Cooked Black Current

Hot Climate Flavours
• Jammy
• Stewed prunes

Aged Characters
• Cedar
• Cigar box
• Pencil shavings

Producer Spotlight

Producer - Foncalieu

Foncalieu is a large, quality-focussed co-operative based near the ancient city of Carcasonne in France’s Languedoc. It was established back in 1918 in the hamlet Les Cailleousses in the Gers department, with the domaine then belonging to the Cambos family.

The co-operative now controls some 5,000 hectares of vines in order to make wines for the various brands, which include the likes of La Serre, Apogee, Le Lien, Saint Roch and Domaine Combebelle, to name a few. Foncalieu, which adheres to sustainable viticulture, has bottles covering a vast range of appellations in this area of France, from Cote de Rhone and Saint-Chinian to Minervois and Corbieres.

Les Vignobles Foncalieu has a team of winemakers dedicated to creating wines reflecting the expression of each brand from varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Chardonnay, Vermentino, Muscat Sec Grenache, Marsanne, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Marselan, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Viognier.

Region - Atacama

Atacama is the most northerly of Chile’s wine regions and until very recently no one believed it was possible to grow grapes in this around of the country. Situated north of the Elqui Valley, it is a desert, so extremely dry and not an area one would think would be synonymous with grape growing. However, on a small-scale, grapes are being grown on family-run vineyards that have been planted over the past decade by the Chilean government and mining company Soquimich as part of a social aid project.

Atacama is made up of two sub-regions, Copiapo and Huasco. These two valleys both enjoy a sunny climate so fruit ripens earlier than in the rest of the country. In fact, in 2011, 3,380 hectolitres of DO wine was made in Atacama. Back in 2009, only 11.5 hectares of vineyards were recorded for the region but more are being planted, though grape growing remains extremely small scale with no wineries in the region.

Vina Ventisquero has vineyards in the Huasco Valley, where they are pioneering the first Sauvignon Blanc here, but the producer takes the grapes south for making into wine. Other varieties planted include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah.

Grape - Pinot Blanc

French white grape variety Pinot Blanc is generally more of a workhorse grape than a star. It’s a member of the expansive family of vines that have been shown (according to DNA analysis) to be offspring of Pinot Noir and an obscure white grape planted in Burgundy in mediaeval times, Gouais Blanc

Pinot Blanc has a roundness of flavour with occasionally an apparent sweetness as a result of its relative low acidity. The grape looks pretty similar to Chardonnay, so for many years no distinction was made between them, but Pinot Blanc is less full-bodied than its more common sibling and tends to be drunk young. However, with low yields, it is possible to barrel-age it with success.

In France, this grape now tends to be most used in Alsace, where it is sometimes called Clevner or Klevner and often blended with Auxerrois, but, as Weissburgunder, it is held in more esteem in Germany, especially with growers looking for food-friendly wines. Here, it seems to show off the diversity of its personalities – it can be full and rich in Baden and the Pfalz, but relatively delicate along the Hahe and Mosel-Saar-Ruwer.

Also as Weissburgunder, it excels in Austria, making almond-scented dry whites and also amazing, super-rich botrytized Trockenbeerenausleses. The ripest Weissburgunder tends to be oak-aged and is often blended with other grape varieties, particularly Chardonnay.

In Italy, with the name Pinot Bianco, it’s widely grown – actually more so than in its homeland of France. It seems particularly happy grown in Collio and Isonzo in Friuli in the north of the country where it produces interesting, racy whites, both oaked and unoaked, with good body and flavour. Generally though, the Italians vinify Pinot Bianco as a slightly spritzy, high-acid wine for drinking young and for spumante in Lombardia.

Elsewhere, Pinot Blanc is found all over eastern Europe, including in Slovenia, Croatia and Vojvodina, as Beli Pinot. The New World too has a little, with British Columbia in the west of Canada making some of the most noteworthy. Often though in Latin America what is called Pinot Bianco is actually Chenin Blanc. Likewise, in California, particularly in Monterey, older plantings of what was thought to have been Pinot Blanc turned out to be the Muscadel grape, Melon de Bourgogne. Carneros plantings, which are more recent, are true Pinot Blanc and these are used mostly for sparkling wine. It’s also grown in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

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