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Is Cabernet Sauvignon in Crisis?

I was recently lucky enough to take part in the Working With Wine program, sponsored by Negociants Australia.   This trade-only program is based on two full-day seminars lead by wine journalist Nick Ryan and a panel of leading winemakers.  This year the focus was on the classic French regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy.  Given the astronomical prices (many over $1000 per bottle!) of these highly sort after wines, it’s an enormous opportunity to learn and gain in-depth insight into the philosophy of leading winemakers without needing to take out a mortgage to buy the wines or visit the Chateau/Domaine.  

Along with a short quiz and tasting exam after each seminar, an additional requirement is to choose a selected topic and write a short 1000 word essay/magazine article.  Given my love of Cabernet Sauvignon and my strong opinions on the subject, I went for the topic below.  The opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own, I hope you find it interesting…Cheers Scott 

Is Cabernet in Crisis? Is it time to give Merlot more respect? Is Cabernet Franc a star or just a bit player? Discuss the current climate for Bordeaux varieties in Australia.

To say Cabernet Sauvignon is in crisis might be a step too far given the number of world-class wines being made in places such as Margaret River in Western Australia and the Yarra Valley in Victoria.  If you are lucky enough to drink the Cabernet-based wines of Cullen or Mount Mary, you would say that Australian Cabernet has never been more elegant, refined and age-worthy.  I will, however,  go out on a limb and say that Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia is under pressure from changing consumption patterns driven by demographics and winemaking style from the next generation of winemakers, and that the ‘golden era’ of Coonawarra, such an important region in Australian for Cabernet Sauvignon historically, has passed.  

Consumption patterns and winemaking style have changed considerably over the last few years as millennial drinkers replace aging baby boomers as the engine room of consumption and wine fashion.  At the same time, millennial winemakers have come to the fore, happy to fuel the change and make wines that are different from the prior generation. This is particularly true in the on-premise setting, where emerging trends are first seen.  If you were to ask a savvy wine consumer under the age of 30 in Sydney or Melbourne (and there are more than ever before) what wines they prefer to drink, I would hazard a guess it's ABCS (Anything but Cabernet Sauvignon).  Young winemakers are also part of the change, with most moving towards minimal intervention in the winery and light to medium-bodied, juicy reds, to be released early and drunk young.  I’m thinking of my favourites like Ochota Barrels, Koerner, and Luke Lambert, but the list is long and ever-growing.   

Cabernet Sauvignon with its grippy tannin, firm structure and affinity with oak barrels, it just too angular, too dark fruited, too savoury for many.  Some might argue that the Margaret River style is going in the slurpable direction, and it’s true that perhaps the Cabernet-based wines of this region are world-class and can be made in a more drink-now, smashable style. But winemakers in the region going down this path are few and far between.  Victoria's Yarra Valley producers lighter styles that are a delight to drink, however, the young winemakers of this region are mostly enamoured with the Burgundian varieties of Pinot Noir and  Chardonnay. 

The gradual decline of Cabernet Sauvignon troubles me, as it was this noble grape variety and its Bordeaux inspired blending partners that opened the door to my lifelong love of wine and is still, in my opinion, the best performing variety in the cellar.  Aged Cabernet has a character and complexity unrivalled by all but the noblest varieties in the world.   But therein lies another troubling trend, the demise of patience and the long term cellaring of wine to be drunk (as opposed to being traded as a financial instrument, like a share or bitcoin).  

Millennial wine drinkers live in the moment, and although many have a wine fridge or a few bottles stashed under the bed for a special occasion, most are only aged for a handful of years.  As if to reinforce the point, I had a conversation with a young winemaker recently who happily declared that he didn't cellar wine and only wanted to make wine he liked to drink.  

If Cabernet has had its time in the sun, is Merlot the answer? This ubiquitous variety has a troubled past in Australia. It just rarely was or is able to rise about producing soft, inoffensive bulk dry red to be sold for at low prices.  It became synonymous with ‘soft’ as opposed to Cabernet’s tannic mouthfeel and often sought out by new, or disinterested wine drinkers.   A safe and boring choice. Always drinkable, but rarely, if ever, achieving the depth and complexity it achieves in Bordeaux.  

And then there was the cult movie hit Sideways, where the main character Miles, a lover of wine and Pinot Noir in particular famously declares “I’m not drinking Merlot”!  Youtube it if you don’t know what I'm talking about. It’s role as a blending partner, filling the classic ‘doughnut hole’ of Cab Sauv has meant that there is still considerable vineyard area devoted to it.  But other than that and the odd rare exception like Irvine’s examples from the Eden Valley, Merlot is not going to be the next big thing.  My first-hand experience tells me that consumers are not seeking out this variety and winemakers are not devoting their time and resources to exploring its true potential. 

Cabernet Franc, on the other hand, is on-trend and perhaps a star that is rising.  Albeit in a very modest way.  I’ll stick my neck out and say the most interesting development in recent years has been the rise of varietal Cabernet Franc wines from cool climates such as the Yarra Valley and Great Southern regions.  These are delicious and engaging wines when grown and made with love and intent.  Historically Cabernet Franc has been seen as a blender, seasoning if you like, in the classic Bordeaux blend. But Cabernet Franc has an advantage in the new wine order, aromatic lift, freshness, lower alcohol and the absence of the grippy tannins of Cab Sauv.  Picked too early or planted on the wrong site, the variety can be mean, vegetal, overly crunchy and packed with sour acidity. Planted on the right site and grown properly, the wines are bright and aromatic, light to medium-bodied and just flat out delicious to drink.  Although grown in Bordeaux, perhaps it is the Loire Valley that is providing the most inspiration in this country. 

So perhaps Cabernet Sauvignon reign is in its twilight, but it is without a doubt still the king of wines with a very long and drinkable future ahead of it.  Merlot may produce the odd exceptional wine but it is Cabernet Franc that I'm betting on to deliver maximum deliciousness to the new wave of discerning wine lovers.