Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This
is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend,
though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with
Cabernet
Franc,Malbec, and
Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in
the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as
40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich
soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the
depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines.
However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the
middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts
as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as
Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds
structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous
Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the
blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in
California and Australia.