Six autumn wines from a noble grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

Autumn is a propitious season for the consumption of powerful and deep wines, with aromas of wild fruit compote, leaf litter, mushrooms, and leather, which harmonize with the aromas and flavors of autumn gastronomy, when stews, stews, roasted meats, mushrooms and game usually have their best moment. There are numerous options, from the strong wines of Toro, to dreamy priories, even a glass of generous VORS. But it is the great reds made with Cabernet Sauvignon, the noble variety originating in Bordeaux, where it has been cultivated for more than 400 years, a cross between the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc varieties, and today spread all over the world, that take the cake. Of course, Cabernet Sauvignon does not admit mediocrities.

It easily goes from the sublime to the anodyne if minimum winemaking requirements are not met: a long period of adaptation of the vine to its new habitat, more than 15 years; that the clone is the right one and the American foot is the right one; low grape production; Preferably a continental Atlantic climate, if it is Mediterranean, the vineyard should be located at the highest possible altitude.

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These are essential conditions for a vigorous variety, with a long cycle, thick skins and a powerful tannic structure, whose high load of pyrazines [organic aromatic compound] requires a complete and slow ripening so that the characteristic notes of green pepper do not have too much prominence, nor show excess of vegetal notes. Finally, its hardness and a certain initial astringency need a long ageing in oak, with subsequent rest in the bottle, to show its best profile, to which it owes its well-deserved fame. Hence, Cabernet Sauvignon wines necessarily have high prices. But when these conditions are met and the oenology conforms to the demands of Cabernet Sauvignon and not the other way around, the wines magnanimously express the greatness of a varietal on which some of the best red wines in the world are based.

Brought to Spain in 1858 by the Marqués de Riscal winery, a few years later it was introduced in the Ribera del Duero area by Eloy Lecanda for his Vega Sicilia wines. But the great expansion occurred in the second half of the 20th century, with the tendency to plant international grape varieties instead of the traditional indigenous varieties, until today reaching some 000,<> hectares of vineyards. Pioneering wineries were Torres, Jean Leon, Marqués de Griñón, Abadía Retuerta, Enate, and many more. Its old Cabernet Sauvignon vines, perfectly acclimatized, allow us to offer the demanding and connoisseur consumer a good bouquet of superlative reds. This selection of six wines from different wine-growing areas is the best demonstration.

JEAN LEON VINYA LA SCALA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2016

MARQUÉS DE GRIÑON CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021

MÁS LA PLANA 2019

PAGO VALDEBELLÓN 2019

ENATE CABERNET- CABERNET 2016

ALTAR 2013

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