Winemaker Notes
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Though the Cabardès AOC, approved for reds and rosés, was only established in 1999, winemaking and viticulture stretch back to Roman times. Situated north of Carcassonne in a natural amphitheater on the south-facing slopes of the Montagne Noire, its 550 hectares of hillside vines occupy a unique climatological spot “between the East Wind and the West,” as its official website says.
The East Wind (the Marin) brings soft, humid air from the Atlantic coast, and in it thrive the Bordelaise varieties of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The West Wind (the Cers) brings hot, dry air from the Languedoc plain, ripening the sun-loving southern French varieties, Grenache and Syrah. AOC Cabardès wines must be a minimum 40% each of East Wind and West Wind varieties. The result are wines unique in complexity and character—firm tannins and black fruit from the East, with savory herbs and sunny berry fruit from the West.