Clay Creek farms Cabernet Sauvignon in California, where the grape found a second home after Bordeaux. The 2020 vintage is a full-bodied, dry red at 13.5% alcohol, built on medium tannin and medium acidity rather than brute force.
- Cabernet Sauvignon, the grape that defines California red.
- California, USA — warm days, cool nights.
- 2020 vintage, 13.5% alcohol.
- Full body, medium tannin, dry.
- 750ml bottle.
How it is made
Cabernet Sauvignon is a thick-skinned grape, which is where the colour and the tannin come from. In California the long, warm growing season ripens it fully, so the fruit arrives dark and concentrated rather than green. The wine is dry, with medium acidity holding the weight in place.
How it tastes
Blackcurrant and dark cherry lead, with mocha and cedar behind them. The tannins are firm but medium, not aggressive, and the oak reads as charred rather than sweet. There is peppercorn and blackberry on the nose. Full-bodied through to the finish.
Good to know
California has no appellation-wide rule dictating which grapes may be planted, unlike Bordeaux or Barolo. A bottle labelled simply "California" can draw fruit from anywhere in the state, while narrower labels like Napa Valley or Sonoma Coast carry their own rules. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red grape in the state.
