The Cab is Hardy, but High-Quality

A quality grape that grows anywhere

Cabernet Sauvignon in St. Helena, CA

Cabernet Sauvignon, a crossbreed of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon blanc grapes, is one of the world’s most successful varieties of wine grape. Cab grapes are small and thick-skinned, which means the tannins and other flavors that come from grapeskin are found abundantly in this wine. They also help give the grape its famous resiliency and adaptability, which is the great secret of Cab success worldwide — they’re as hardy as Mission grapes and produce a much higher quality of wine. No matter what the climate or soil, Cab grapes can be relied on for a complex and balanced vintage.

Wine clubs offer top Cabernet Sauvignon

Top Cabernet Sauvignon usually matures for nine to months to a year and a half in barrels of French, American or Hungarian oak. Napa wineries trying to create the perfect Cab draw from the best grapes of multiple rootstocks and vineyards, combining them in vats of French oak for just the right balance. An example this is the Signature Cabernet Sauvignon of Conn Valley Vineyards, a wine that comes only from the best of the vintage. The 2011 Signature Cab is an intensely dark purple and red wine with an intense aroma of dark berries, smoke, blue flowers, anise and other spices, tar and minerals. It has a fruity palate of blackberries and blueberries with hints of violets, licorice and smoke. This is a rare vintage, produced in a cool year when yields were low.

Many wine clubs offer collections of Cabs from different parts of the U.S. This will allow you to explore the similarities and differences of Cabs grown in many different environments.

Some very good top Cabernet Sauvignon near St. Helena, CA

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a short drive from downtown St. Helena, produces world-class wines at affordable prices, including a famous Cabernet Sauvignon. The Conn Valley Cabernet has been rated one of the top Cabernets in the world since the inaugural vintage of 1987. The fruit is more like mountain fruit than valley floor fruit, and the style is more Bordeaux in style than the average Napa Cabernet. The Conn Valley Cabernet is a chef-style wine, one that chefs find it easy to pair with almost anything because of the beautiful bright and refreshing acidity on the finish. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate praises the 2012 vintage for its “terrific purity, plenty of depth and ripeness, and a full-bodied mouthfeel” and describes the 2010 Cab as “an elegant, finesse-styled effort to enjoy over the next decade.” They also offer Estate and Signature Cabs, which are of particularly high quality.

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Wine club members save $25 buying the 2013 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon online. If you’re looking for a good wine to serve at a special occasion, order a bottle today.