Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is the principal grape in all the greatest wines of Bordeaux's Left Bank, where it is typically blended with some combination of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It also reigns supreme in the Napa Valley, where there is a welcome trend for fresher, more delicate wines – albeit still with Cabernet's characteristic tannin and capacity to age. Cabernet can be grown with some success in a broad spectrum of terroirs, but is at its best on well-draining soils. Margaret River in Western Australia, with gravel soils and a climate moderated by the ocean (like Bordeaux) is another source of world-class Cabernet, especially from benchmark Leeuwin Estate.
