Italics Deliberate Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Estate 2019

What Makes Cabernets “White?”

When asked this question on a variety of cocktail show notes, California Vintner Dave Cahill isn’t lying. Cabernet Sauvignon, as a highly oxidized grape grape, does have the ability to give different wines the ability to develop a more balanced and clean flavor profile when compared to a style of wine where the oxidation levels are very minimal.

The University of California at Davis is an excellent example of this balance. The Davis Cabernet Sauvignon’s grape is fully ripened and the actual number of grape berries are few. However, the wine was fermented with the balance of the amount of yeast and bacteria that will help to stabilize the wine for a longer time before it is ready to drink. With regards to the wine grape itself, it just so happens that Cabernet Sauvignon wine is among the most versatile grapes. This wine grape has a very delicate bouquet to it where it seems to feature tannins of the least sour type. They are also classified as sweet white grape so it works well that the grapes will actually have the ability to produce high sugar white wines similar in flavor and color to the darker, red varieties.

So why isn’t Cabernet Sauvignon more popular than other white grapes like Chardonnay, Grenache, and Sauvignon Blanc? The answer is simple. It wasn’t until California finally hit a serious low in wine production due to a lack of trade for some of the more labor intensive processes of wine making, that Cabernet Sauvignon was allowed to establish itself as a style of wine. However, this style of wine hasn’t been widely appreciated in the past 35 years.

Traditionally, Cabernets have been a red grape with a grape berry producing red leaf structure and skin. This same color profile translates into color, sweetness, and flavor. It has a higher than average sugars and alcohol content to keep these characteristics stable and taste balanced. As such, some have found the Cabernet Sauvignon style to be a style of wine that is fairly straightforward to categorize into two general categories. These are cabernet sauvignon and black cabbagen.