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!
Lanza-Musto Grapes Winning Wine Awards!
We’ve got BIG winners from the 2020 Sunset International Wine Competition. Lanza-Musto Vineyards grapes and Wooden Valley Winery won some big awards!
Double Gold 96 Points~2017 Lanza Family Petite Sirah
Gold 93 points~2018 Lanza Barbera
Gold 92 points~2019 Rosetta Dry Rosé (Sangiovese)
All of these grapes are available for purchase this fall in 36lb cases or in frozen must by request. Who wants to make Suisun Valley Wine this Fall?!
For more information regarding the Fall Harvest please feel free to contact us at sales@juicegrape.com or give us a call at 877-812-1137. We are looking forward to helping you with your next great wine!
Lanza-Musto Vineyards and Suisun Valley Harvest Update {071720}
Lanza-Musto Vineyards and Suisun Valley Harvest Update
as of 07-17-20
We were able to catch up with Ron Lanza this week. He said, “Harvest in Suisun Valley is looking to be about 1 to 2 weeks earlier than last year. Bud break was 10 days earlier than last year and Mother Nature seems to be keeping up with that trend. We are already seeing color (veraison) in the Brunello Clone Sangiovese vineyards! We have been busy doing a lot of thinning this year and the crop should be the perfect size. The Malbec is looking especially good this season. We are looking forward to sending these great grapes to the East Coast!”
Grape Varieties Available:
- Barbera
- Chardonnay
- Clone 8 (“Valley Cab”) Cabernet Sauvignon
- Clone 15 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Clone 169 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Koch Cabernet Sauvignon
- Malbec
- Muscat Cannelli
- Merlot
- Mouvedre
- Petite Sirah
- Petit Verdot
- Primitivo
- Riesling
- Brunello Clone Sangiovese
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Syrah
- Tempranillo
*All grape varieties are available in 36lb cases or in frozen must by request
Juice Varieties Available:
- Chardonnay
- Napa Gamay (Pink)
- Muscat Cannelli
- Riesling
- Sauvignon Blanc
*All juice varieties are available in 5.25 gallons pails, cold settled, zero additions or balancing done to the juice.
For more information regarding the Fall Harvest please feel free to contact us at sales@juicegrape.com or give us a call at 877-812-1137. We are looking forward to helping you with your next great wine!
Our Growers and thier wineries are winning awards!
We want to give a BIG Congratulations to our Growers for winning multiple prestigious awards at the San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition!!
Our Lodi Growers:

2016 Zinderella Old Vine Zinfandel – GOLD Medal
2017 Albarino from Mettler Ranch – SILVER Medal
2016 Zinfandel from Mettler Ranch – SILVER Medal
2016 Petite Sirah from Mettler Ranch – GOLD Medal
2016 Cabernet from Mettler Ranch – SILVER Medal
Our Suisun Valley, Lanza Musto Vineyards Growers:

2018 Wooden Valley Sauvignon Blanc – GOLD Medal
2016 Wooden Valley Zinfandel – GOLD Medal
2017 Wooden Valley Malbec – GOLD Medal
2016 Lanza Family Petite Sirah – DOUBLE GOLD Medal
2016 Lanza Family Cabernet – GOLD Medal
Click the link below to see the full list of winners. Great wine starts in the vineyard!
Link: http://winejudging.com/medal-winners/
An Evening with Ron Lanza – May 8th, 2019
Happy Friday Winemakers! We are excited to announce..
“An Evening with Ron Lanza” Event from Lanza Vineyards and Wooden Valley Winery. The event will be held Wednesday, May 8, 6:00 PM at Herd Restaurant – 200 Main Street, Middletown.
Enjoy some wines from Suisun Valley, wines from the Southern Hemisphere and an update by the Musto Family on grapes from Chile. Ron Lanza will speak about the signature grape of the Suisun Valley, Petite Sirah as well as their other excellent offerings, and answer any questions you may have.
Also, several of the Connecticut AWS Chapters will be pouring some of their member’s wines for you to enjoy.
This event is now open to AWS members and non-members. Click on the link below to sign-up with Herd Restaurant and pay your $35 fee per person which also includes a dinner choice of Penne Vodka, Crab Stuffed Filet of Sole, or Chicken Piccata.
Link for Tickets: http://bit.ly/RLWD2019
Wooden Valley Winery WINS at the SF Chronicle Wine Judging Competition
Check out Wooden Valley Winery’s (aka Lanza-Musto Vineyards) WINS at the 2018 SF Chronicle Wine Judging Competition. Over 7000 wines were entered from 36 states in this wine competition. Congratulations to the Lanza Family and the Wooden Valley Crew on your much deserved awards!
2016 Wooden Valley Barbera Suisun Valley – Gold
2015 Lanza Family Cabernet Sauvignon – Gold
2017 Wooden Valley Chardonnay – Silver
2016 Wooden Valley Malbec – Gold
2016 Wooden Valley Merlot – Bronze
2015 Lanza Family Petite Sirah – Bronze
2016 Wooden Valley Sangiovese – Double Gold
2017 Wooden Valley Sauvignon Blanc – Silver
2015 Wooden Valley Zinfandel – Silver
2017 Harvest Outlook for Suisun Valley, Lodi, and Central Valley
Suisun Valley Harvest Outlook
Everything is maturing along in Suisun Valley. We are seeing verasion come to end in varieties such as Merlot and Sangiovese. Petite Sirah, Cabernet 169, and later varieties are still going through the verasion process. Looking at the maturity level of the grapes harvest should start around September 4th in Suisun Valley – beginning with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The next varieties to pick will most likely be Merlot around September 10th and, Sangiovese, and Malbec around September 16th. The later varieties such as Petite Sirah and Cabernet 169 should harvest around late September/early October.
Interested in the weather in Suisun Valley? Click here to see what our weather stations are picking up on a daily basis!
Lodi Harvest Outlook
Overall the Lodi crop looks great. The rain helped strengthen the deep roots this winter, which allowed the vines to grow a vigorous canopy. The big canopies from the record rain fall has protected the grapes from the summer heat. Therefore, it should be an average to slightly below average crop this year. Most varieties look normal, however Cabernet and Zinfandel look to be low slightly lighter than last year. The Lodi appellation is made up of mostly sandy loam soil and unlike the Central Valley they get constant cooler temps in the evenings. This area experiences 40 degree swings in temps that help with coloring the grapes and the skins are thicker which produce a dark juice high in tannins. This is why the region is famous for its delicious Zinfandels and Italian grape varieties!
Central Valley Harvest Outlook
With the extra rain fall Central Valley is looking to be a great harvest. The crop looks to be about the same as last year and we should be harvesting about 4-6 days later than last year. We anticipate some of the Central Valley fruit to start shipping to the East Coast around August 28th. Get your crushers ready!!
We should have an updated harvest report pertaining to Paso Robles, Napa/Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Washington State next week. Keep an eye out for our next email.
There is a lot going on at Musto Wine Grape Company and we are looking forward to seeing you on August 26th for Customer Appreciation Day.
Cheers to making your favorite wine!!
The Winemaker’s Think Tank: Vol 9 – How long will my wine last?
What’s the Winemaker’s Think Tank?
Every Thursday we will post about a few frequently asked questions that our winemaker has answered. If you have a winemaking question you would like to have answered, please email us at support@juicegrape.com and we will try to get into next week’s post. Cheers! 🙂
How long will my wine last?
All wine ages differently. Certain varietals benefit from aging, others are meant to be consumed quickly. Generally, the more tannic the wine, more it will benefit from aging. Other factors influence a wine’s potential to age as well. If the winemaker chooses not to add sulfites to the wine (not recommended), the wine will not age as well and should be consumed within a year. If the proper level of sulfites are added, the wine stored at an appropriate temperature (55-62 degrees Farenheit), and not exposed to light, it should be able to age for many years. Some varietals that benefit from aging are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec. Some varietals that do not necessarily benefit from aging are Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cayuga.
We hope this information helps with your winemaking. If you have any follow up questions or winemaking questions in general, please email us at support@juicegrape.com.
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