Cabernet Sauvignon

Question 1

Cabernet Sauvignon budding & ripening

Answer 1

Cabernet Sauvignon
Late budding - late ripening

This is a late budding variety, giving it some protection from spring frosts.
It ripens late (and hence needs to be grown on warmer soils), making it vulnerable to early autumn rains.

Question 2

In Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon contributes :

Answer 2

• pronounced violet,
  blackcurrant,
  black cherry and
  menthol or herbaceous flavours,
• medium alcohol and
• high acidity and
• high tannins
  to the Bordeaux blend.

Question 3

Soils where Cabernet Sauvignon gives the best fruit in Bordeaux

Answer 3

it produces the highest quality fruit on warm, well-drained soils, such as the gravel beds of the Médoc

Question 4

Cabernet Sauvignon diseases

Answer 4

It is prone to
- fungal diseases, especially powdery mildew (oidium)
- and the trunk diseases, Eutypa and Esca.

Question 5

Cabernet Sauvignon berry size, skin thickness (tannins)

Answer 5

It is a small-berried thick-skinned variety
with high tannin content, resulting in wines with high tannins.

Question 6

Cabernet sauvignon and cooler seasons in Bordeaux

Answer 6

In cooler seasons in Bordeaux, especially in the past with a cooler climate, growers could struggle to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon fully,

resulting in wines with high acidity, unripe tannins and little fruit.

As a result, and due to Cabernet Franc and Merlot’s earlier ripening, it was and still is regularly blended with these two varieties.

Question 7

The vineyard surface planted with Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux

Answer 7

about 22.000ha (2021)
(20,4% of total 108,000 hectares planted)