Red grapeSommo grape guide

Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot

Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot wine guide: what this red grape tastes like, where it comes from, the regions that grow it, and what to eat with it.

Colour
Red
Body
Medium-full
Origin
France
Top region
Bordeaux
4
Key regions
3
Pairings
1
Synonyms

Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot is a red blend rather than a single variety, with its roots in Bordeaux, France.

The wines show medium-full body, medium tannin, medium acidity, dry and medium alcohol.

The tasting note runs to blackcurrant, bell pepper, red fruit, vanilla, spice and cedar.

In the cellar it meets american oak and french oak.

It is planted most seriously in Bordeaux, Coonawarra, Margaret River and Napa Valley.

In the vineyard it is marked by mid ripening, medium vigour and a preference for temperate.

It blends readily with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere.

On other labels it goes by Cabernet Merlot.

At the table it suits sautéed shiitake mushrooms, slow-cooked beef roast and seared venison rump with red wine and rosemary butter.

The structure.

Body
Medium-full
Tannin
Medium
Acidity
Medium
Sweetness
Dry
Alcohol
Medium
Flavours
blackcurrantbell pepperred fruit
Aromas
vanillaspicecedarsmoke
Cellar
American oakFrench oak
Styles
dry red

Where it grows.

Blends well with.

Food pairings.

01 Sautéed Shiitake Mushrooms
02 Slow-cooked Beef Roast
03 Seared Venison Rump with Red Wine and Rosemary Butter

Also labelled.

Cabernet Merlot.

Bottles to look for.

  • Cade Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain, USA
  • Calvet Reserve Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, France
  • Chateau Beau-Site, Saint-Estephe, France
  • Chateau Cos d'Estournel 'Goulee - G d'Estournel', Medoc, France
  • Chateau de Chantegrive, Graves, France
  • Chateau de Fieuzal, Pessac-Leognan, France
  • Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 'La Croix de Beaucaillou', Saint-Julien, France
  • Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, Saint-Julien, France

Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot: common questions

01.
What does Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot taste like?
+
Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot tastes of blackcurrant, bell pepper, red fruit, vanilla, spice and cedar, plus one more. The wines show medium-full body, medium tannin, medium acidity, dry and medium alcohol.
02.
Where is Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot from?
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Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot originates in Bordeaux, France.
03.
Where is Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot grown?
+
The key regions for Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot are Bordeaux, Coonawarra, Margaret River and Napa Valley.
04.
What food pairs with Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot?
+
Pour it with sautéed shiitake mushrooms, slow-cooked beef roast and seared venison rump with red wine and rosemary butter.
05.
What else is Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot called?
+
Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot is also labelled Cabernet Merlot.

Keep going: the A to Z grape index, or the wine regions of France.

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