A Guide to Cabernet Sauvignon
What is Cabernet Sauvignon?
Known as the king of red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys the same regal status in California as it does in its native home of Bordeaux, France. Californian Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be more fruit-forward and mellow, with rich dark fruit notes. The most common aromatic and flavor components found in this varietal are plum, black cherry, blueberry as well as warm spice, vanilla, black pepper, and tobacco. Aside from being known for its dark color and full body, it’s known for often being over 13.5% in alcohol content. The average alcohol content of a Cab from California floats around 14.5%. At Musto Wine Grape we carry a variety of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from multiple AVAs in California, as well as all of the yeasts, nutrients, and equipment you’ll need.
What kind of yeast should I use when making Cabernet Sauvignon?
*Note that full expression of the desired characteristics for any of the following yeast strains is based on proper care and feeding if the yeasts, along with using quality fruit and good winemaking practices. It is also strongly recommended that Go-Ferm and Fermaid-K are used as well as temperature management throughout the entire fermentation. As always, if you need assistance with any part of your winemaking process, do not hesitate to reach out to us at sales@juicegrape.com or give us a call at (877) 812-1137 to speak with someone who can assist with any product recommendations, procedures, or problems.
BM45 yields a big mouthfeel, notes of cherry liquor, rose petal, jam, plum, berry as well as earthy and spicy elements. It offers color stability and helps to minimize vegetative characteristics.
BDX is an all-around great choice for berry, plum, and jam characteristics. It has a moderate fermenting rate and offers good color retention. By re-enforcing existing tannins, it develops structure in the wine. Because of this, we advise to not use with unripe fruit.
RP15 emphasizes the berry aspects of the fruit, along with color stability, increased mouthfeel, and agreeable tannins.
D254 yields a big mouthfeel and rounds tannins as well as intense fruit. It has a focus on berry and jam characteristics, but more so of dried fruit than fresh. It’s also great for color stability and adds body to blends.
D80 offers big volume and fine grain tannins. It is great for encouraging more positive tannin intensity to a blend.
Where do you source your Cabernet Sauvignon from?
We offer Cabernet Sauvignon from multiple AVA’s within California and Washington:
Lanza-Musto Vineyards in Suisun Valley, CA (Valley, 169, 15, and Koch)
Mettler Family Ranch in Lodi, CA
Napa Valley, CA
Washington State (Clone 33)
Sonoma County, CA (Chalk Hill)
Amador, CA
King’s River, CA
Paso Robles, CA
Central Valley, CA
Is there a certain winemaking procedure specific to Cabernet Sauvignon?
You can follow our Red Wine Grape Procedure which you can find here, if you are using juice you can find the procedure here and if you are using frozen must, here. The procedure is standard for making red wines, but using the proper yeasts and nutrients specific for Cabernet Sauvignon and consistent monitoring will have the biggest impact on your final wine.
Where can I buy grapes, juice, or must?
At Musto Wine Grape Company, all red grape varieties are available in 36lb cases, in frozen must by request, or in 6-gallon fresh juice pails. For Sterile Juice options that can be shipped year-round and without refrigeration click here.
Finally, if you need the best options and equipment suited for you and your winemaking goals, email sales@juicegrape.com or call (877) 812 – 1137 to speak with one of our Musto Crush Crew members who can help. We are here to provide all of the winemaking products you need to make the wine of your dreams, as well as the customer support to ensure your success!
Paso Robles Merlot Harvest
Good Morning from Paso Robles Winemakers!
Our crew is working very hard to bring you some of the finest wine grapes Paso Robles has to offer. Yesterday and Today we are harvesting Merlot and Syrah. They are being picked around 24-26 Brix. They should be arriving in Hartford, CT around 9/23/2016.
We are still awaiting the Petite Sirah which is currently at 22 Brix. We are thinking it will harvest around 9/23.
Make sure to place your orders!
These are fantastic grapes for making Award Winning Wines!
-PS-
Drop Off You Wine Competition Entities at Pick Up! http://www.juicegrape.com/community/wine_classic/
Paso Robles Update
Paso Robles is one of California’s emerging AVA’s. It has grown from a sleepy town to a high end wine growing and wine producing region. Paso Robles Wine Country is ideally located along California’s Central Coast, conveniently between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Over the past decade the number of wineries has more than tripled, and Paso Robles is now home to nearly 200 wineries. Winemaking on the Central Coast began when the Franciscan Friars traveled through California establishing Missions. The Missionaries started planting grapes in 1790. You can still see these vines growing today. Since the original plantings of the Missionaries, Paso Robles has become a top destination for farmers to plant grapes. Many famous people have planted vineyards and started wineries in this region. For example, Ignace Paderewski, the Polish pianist purchased 2,000 acres in the 1920’s. He planted Petite Sirah and Zinfandel and eventually opened York Mountain Winery; which is still in existence today.
Paso Robles is comprised of 26,000 acres of wine grapes. It is one of the fastest growing wine regions in California and on the Central Coast. It has a diverse topography. There are rivers, roiling hills, flat lands, and mountains. The soil is comprised of bedrock, weather granite, marine sedimentary rocks, and volcanic rocks. Because of the many different soil components one vineyard block could contain several different soil types.
In terms of grapes, Paso Robles is known for growing Zinfandel, but has gained recognition for Bordeaux and Rhone varieties. The AVA likes to produce non-traditional blends. It is a valley that doesn’t follow the rules and expectations of tradition winemaking. The winemakers of Paso Robles like to make their own rules.
Musto Wine Grape Company will be offering the following wine grapes from Paso Robles: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Old Vine Zinfandel.
- The Paso Petite Sirah resides on the East side of Paso Robles. Days are hot for a longer period of time than the west side but the temperature will drop down to 50 degrees and below at night. The grapes ripen while maturing slowly to produce a wine with aromas of blueberry, raspberry, and black coffee. The wines from this area show deep color, are full bodied, and have a smooth tannic structure.
- The Paso Merlot, and Syrah are sourced from Tolosa Winery from their “Meeker Vineyard” blocks. The Syrah is the Shenandoah Clone and on 5BB rootstock. Finally, the Merlot is Clone 3 and on 5BB rootstock.
- The Paso Zinfandel and Old Vine Zinfandel are sourced from the Steinbeck Vineyard. The Zinfandel resides on east-west rolling hills. The soils are calcareous and are farmed by a multiple generation vintner.
- The Pinot Noir is sourced from Opolo Vineyards of Paso Robles. The Pinot Noir vineyards are located in the Willow Creek AVA. This region cools down earlier than the East side. The area is known for getting any varietal ripe and mature. The soil is very calcareous which produces a very elegant Pinot Noir.
- The Cabernet is sourced from Parrish Templeton Vineyards. These grapes go to wineries such as Opolo and Justin. It is located in the “Pomar Junction” area of the Templeton gap. The soil consists of clay topsoil, over-lying a fractured calcareous base. This vineyard was created to produce high end Cabernet.
- Varieties from Paso Robles:
- Cabernet Suavignon
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Petite Sirah
- Syrah
- Zinfandel
- Old Vine Zinfandel
We are currently taking orders for ALL Paso Robles grapes. The Pinot Noir will be arriving on 9/9/16. Make sure to secure your grapes today!
sales@juicegrape.com / 877.812.1137
Paso Robles
Paso Robles is one of California’s emerging AVAs. It has grown from a sleepy town to a high end wine growing and wine producing region. Winemaking on the Central Coast began when the Franciscan Friars traveled through California establishing Missions. The Missionaries started planting grapes in 1790. You can still see these vines growing today. Since the original plantings of the Missionaries, Paso Robles has become a top destination for farmers to plant grapes. Many famous people have planted vineyards and started wineries in this region. For example, Ignace Paderewski, the Polish pianist purchased 2,000 acres in the 1920’s. He planted Petite Sirah and Zinfandel and eventually opened York Mountain Winery; which is still in existence today.
Paso Robles is comprised of 26,000 acres of wine grapes. It is one of the fastest growing wine regions in California and on the Central Coast. It has a diverse topography. There are rivers, roiling hills, flat lands, and mountains. The soil is comprised of bedrock, weather granite, marine sedimentary rocks, and volcanic rocks. Because of the many different soil components one vineyard block could contain several different soil types.
In terms of grapes, Paso Robles is known for growing Zinfandel, but has gained recognition for Bordeaux and Rhone varieties. The AVA likes to produce non-traditional blends. It is a valley that doesn’t follow the rules and expectations of tradition winemaking. The winemakers of Paso Robles like to make their own rules.
M&M will be receiving Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Old Vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Grenache, and Pinot Noir. Pre-Orders are now being accepted. Please call or email us at sales@juicegrape.com or 1-877-812-1137.
M&M’s Top 3 Paso Robles Wineries: Justin Winery, Opolo Vineyards, and Kukkula
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