Napa cabernet sauvignon sells for about 3 times the price of sauvignon blanc per average ton. The better regarded CS fruit sells for even far greater ratios. It will show in the bottle price regardless of purchased or farmed fruit.
In Styria/Austria Sauvignon blanc is usually the most expensive variety, slightly more than Morillon (Chardonnay) and definitely more than Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Welschriesling and Traminer.
It depends (imho) on the final quality which is very much depending on the terroir of a region. SB is perfect for the soil and climate here in Styria and the results are world-class.
BTW: also in Pessac-Leognan SB (together with Semillon) is quite expensive now, think of Haut-Brion blanc and LMHB …
In the past my asking this question was answered with the response that the yield of SB is much greater than with Cab so per ton cost is 1/2 to 1/3. Add the difference between oak and stainless steel (in most cases) + time to market and it starts to make sense… assuming all that is true.
Also, it grows on terroir where you can’t produce decent cabernet. You can grow sauvignon (or similar) or you can leave the land empty. Any profit is better than nothing.
Also, there is a demand for it, so why not meet it? Not everyone like/wants to drink cab (all the time.)
With time in barrel and bottle, it’s probably an extra two years for cab before release.
Since winemaking is capital intensive (land, facilities, barrels, inventory of aging wine), I don’t think it’s just a matter of the cost of borrowed money. Lenders generally want some assurance of cash flow before they’ll lend, and whites that don’t require much aging provide that. It’s a common issue in businesses: You need some inventory you can turn over quickly to cover the cost of keeping other, more expensive products in inventory. It’s just as true of furniture stores and car dealers.
Complete thread drift so apologies, but I’m curious as to the source of this.
And also, just for me to understand, is this simply the fruit alone, e.g. if I were to enter into contract to purchase an “average ton of Napa CS” it would be $7,500?
I’d be very curious to see the variation in pricing across Napa but my guess is quite a bit of that information isn’t publicized.