Red grape variety

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is a red grape from Bordeaux, France, known for full-bodied, tannic wines with blackcurrant and cedar. It leads the blends of the Médoc and Graves and Napa Valley's top reds. DNA work at UC Davis in 1996 showed it is a cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.

Color	Red (black-skinned)
Origin	Bordeaux, France (a 17th-century chance cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc)
Body	Full
Acidity	Medium to high
Tannin	High
Typical aromas	blackcurrant, black cherry, green pepper, cedar, pencil shavings, mint, eucalyptus, tobacco
Key regions	Bordeaux (France), Napa Valley (United States), Tuscany (Italy), Coonawarra (Australia), Margaret River (Australia), Maipo Valley (Chile), Stellenbosch (South Africa), Bekaa Valley (Lebanon)

Origin and history

Cabernet Sauvignon appeared in Bordeaux in the 17th century as a chance crossing between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. The parentage was proven in 1996 by a UC Davis team led by Carole Meredith using DNA typing, and in 2016 the same university sequenced its genome, a first for a commercial wine grape. Older names include Petite Vidure and Bidure. By the 18th century it was a popular planting in the Médoc, where estates such as Château Mouton Rothschild and Château d'Armailhac grew it early. Its fame outside France was sealed at the 1976 Judgment of Paris, where a 1973 Cabernet from the Stags Leap District beat classified Bordeaux estates.

Where it grows

Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in nearly every major wine-producing country. In Bordeaux it dominates the gravel soils of the Left Bank: Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Pessac-Léognan, home to first growths such as Château Latour and Château Lafite Rothschild. In California, Napa Valley sub-regions like Oakville and Rutherford produce Opus One and Screaming Eagle. Tuscany uses it in Bolgheri and Sassicaia. It is also central in Chile (Don Melchor, Puente Alto), Australia (Coonawarra, Margaret River), South Africa (Stellenbosch) and Lebanon (Château Musar).

Taste, wine styles and food

Cabernet Sauvignon makes full-bodied red wine with high tannin and noticeable acidity. Flavours depend on climate: cool sites give blackcurrant and green pepper, warmer ones black cherry and olive, and very hot regions a jammy character. Classic secondary notes include cedar, cigar box and pencil shavings, while Coonawarra and other Australian examples often show mint or eucalyptus. The grape has a marked affinity for oak, and the best wines age for decades. It is usually blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in the Bordeaux model, though varietal bottlings are common in the New World. The firm tannins pair well with steak, lamb and other fatty red meats, or dishes with rich butter or cream sauces.

Test yourself: the Cabernet Sauvignon quiz

Wines made with Cabernet Sauvignon (130)

WineGuessr lists 130 wines made with Cabernet Sauvignon, from 14 countries. Most come from France (79).

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Cabernet Sauvignon: questions and answers

What does Cabernet Sauvignon taste like?

Cabernet Sauvignon tastes of blackcurrant and black cherry, often with cedar, tobacco, mint or green pepper notes. It is full-bodied, with high tannin and fresh acidity.

What are the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon?

Cabernet Sauvignon is a cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. DNA typing at UC Davis confirmed this in 1996, and the crossing is thought to have happened in 17th-century Bordeaux.

Which Bordeaux wines are made from Cabernet Sauvignon?

Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blends of the Left Bank, in Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Pessac-Léognan. First growths such as Château Latour, Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild are Cabernet-dominant.

What food goes with Cabernet Sauvignon?

Steak, lamb and other fatty red meats suit Cabernet Sauvignon best, because fat and protein soften its tannins. Rich butter or cream sauces work for the same reason.

Which Napa wine won the Judgment of Paris?

The red flight of the 1976 Judgment of Paris was won by Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District in Napa Valley, ahead of classified Bordeaux estates.

Other red grapes

All grape varieties →

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Last reviewed October 2026.