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Napa Valley Cabernet
California · Napa Valley, USA
redDeep purple
Ripe, polished and generous: riper fruit and more new oak than Bordeaux.
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Line up two to four wines the way you'd say them. The guide covers 127 appellations and styles, and spelling doesn't need to be perfect.
Napa Valley Cabernet and Pauillac side by side: structure on the WSET scale, grapes, aromas, drinking window, typical UK price and what to eat with each.
Ripe, polished and generous: riper fruit and more new oak than Bordeaux.
The archetype of Cabernet power: cassis and cedar with firm, long-lived tannin.
The shape of each wine, then each measure on the WSET scale.
Napa Valley Cabernet has noticeably higher alcohol than Pauillac.
Napa Valley Cabernet: Cabernet Sauvignon, often with some Merlot
Pauillac: Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant (often 70%+), with Merlot
| Napa Valley Cabernet | Pauillac | |
|---|---|---|
| Grapes | Cabernet Sauvignon, often with some Merlot | Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant (often 70%+), with Merlot |
| Climate | Warm Mediterranean with cooling fog | Maritime, close to the Gironde estuary |
| Soil | Volcanic and alluvial benchland | Deep gravel mounds over marl |
| Classification | AVA, with sub-AVAs such as Oakville and Rutherford | 1855 Classification: three of the five first growths |
| Drinking window | 8–25 years | 15–40 years |
| Typical price | £30–£300 | £40–£200 (first growths far more) |
| Food | Ribeye, burgers, aged cheddar | Roast lamb, beef Wellington |
| Producers to know | Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Robert Mondavi, Heitz Cellar | Château Latour, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Pichon Baron |