Why doesn't Cabernet Sauvignon impress me...ever?

[Dan_Sch]

I think the point here is that this variety - and in combination with other Bordeaux varieties - is by far the most widely consumed and talked about variety here in the US and arguably around the world. It dominates discussions of both wine geeks and casual wine drinkers alike, and when folks are ‘uncertain’ about what to order, this is always one of the go to’s that people fall back on.

I enjoy the variety from time to time but find it does not offer me the ‘same complexity’ as other varieties do in general. There are plenty of exceptions to this, and opening up and sharing a decades old Cab or cab-dominated Bordeaux is always a treat.

As with everything else in life, to each their own . . .

Cheers!

Larry, this is really the reasoning behind it. All of my friends who care about wine are into cabs in one of their forms, whether it be the Cali stuff or Bordeaux. And again, I think a lot of them are pretty damn good. Just never make me say wow, which I kind of expect for the money being spent.

So much appreciated to all the respondents. Now I can go tell all of my friends that it’s okay for me to just not be that interested…

[David_Bu3ker]

A lot of wine tasting/drinking disappointments have to do with our own expectations. We set a bar, rather than just letting the wine come to us as it is.

Cabernet has a reputation as a wine to blow people away. That puts the wine in a tough spot. Not all Cabernet Sauvignon is going to do that, even when at its best. Imagine if we as individuals were held to the same standards we set for wine. I doubt many of us (including me!) could live up to them.

[Dan_Sch]

A lot of wine tasting/drinking disappointments have to do with our own expectations. We set a bar, rather than just letting the wine come to us as it is.

Cabernet has a reputation as a wine to blow people away. That puts the wine in a tough spot. Not all Cabernet Sauvignon is going to do that, even when at its best. Imagine if we as individuals were held to the same standards we set for wine. I doubt many of us (including me!) could live up to them.

But I’m far cheaper than nice, aged Bordeaux… and so the expectations, when not met, are less disappointing!

[larry_schaffer]

I think you could substitute ‘Chardonnay’ in the title and the reaction would be just the same . . . (though all of the burgheads on this site might come after you)

Cheers!

[dsimmons]

… What everyone else said about being happy with what you like.

But, based on your affinity for Rhone wines, you might want to try some Washington State Cabs. For me they tend to be bigger fruitier wines than Ca Cabs. Quilceda Creek and Betz are the ones I have most experience with but there are many others. They are also less expensive than their Ca brethren.

[GregT]

Cab has been planted around the world because it can make a pretty decent wine in a number of places. Maybe not always breathtaking, but often quite serviceable. In addition, as the wine world started taking off in the 1970s, France, and specifically Bordeaux, was seen as the standard in much of the New World. Even in much of the Old World as they emerged from various dictators and communism.

So there’s a lot of Cab in the world. But that doesn’t mean someone has to like it. I have a few thousand bottles but exactly two bottles of red Burgundy and three Wind Gap Pinot Noirs. That’s because there’s a particular quality to that grape that generally bothers me. And Cab has distinctive qualities that may bother someone. It may be genetic, or it may be because it evokes something unpleasant from childhood.

[Anton_D]

Today is one of those days where I fall into the old paradigm: “Why is wine like sex? Because even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good!”

There are many wines that simply don’t float my boat, but I can be ‘blown away’ by how well made a friend’s favorite may be, or amazed at just how much freaking petrol a German white wine can actual gas me with, etc…

I fold it into the fun of the hobby.

I don’t have to love a wine in order to love a wine, so to speak.

So…if cabs don’t make you turgid, that’s fine, but don’t let your disdain diminish your joy. Accentuate the positive and focus on the intellectual part of the wine when faced with it. Which can be huge fun, even when the wine isn’t your bag!

Your wine friends will thank you for it!

[Neal.Mollen]

Sounds like you have already had plenty of experience with the grape. Let it go and enjoy what you like.

Yeah, you don’t like them you don’t like them. You’re entitled to your tastes. I have no interest in most of the wines you say you like but so what?

[Kirk.Grant]

Sounds to me like you aren’t a fan…and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’d say keep buying & drinking the wines you like to drink. I want one maybe 1-3 times/year…maybe. More often than not, I’m let down…and more often than not I tend to buy Tuscan Merlot, N. Rhone, or Bordeaux for a red that I want to drink with steak.

[Wes_Barton]

I think the point here is that this variety - and in combination with other Bordeaux varieties - is by far the most widely consumed and talked about variety here in the US and arguably around the world. It dominates discussions of both wine geeks and casual wine drinkers alike, and when folks are ‘uncertain’ about what to order, this is always one of the go to’s that people fall back on.

I enjoy the variety from time to time but find it does not offer me the ‘same complexity’ as other varieties do in general. There are plenty of exceptions to this, and opening up and sharing a decades old Cab or cab-dominated Bordeaux is always a treat.

As with everything else in life, to each their own . . .

Cheers!

Larry, this is really the reasoning behind it. All of my friends who care about wine are into cabs in one of their forms, whether it be the Cali stuff or Bordeaux. And again, I think a lot of them are pretty damn good. Just never make me say wow, which I kind of expect for the money being spent.

So much appreciated to all the respondents. Now I can go tell all of my friends that it’s okay for me to just not be that interested…

So, if your friends are inclined they can take it as a challenge to find a Cab that will excite you. Meanwhile, you can put zero effort on that, and instead solely explore the paths that excite you.

[lleichtman]

But before you make the decision Cab doesn’t impress you in some form, you have to try the varieties available from different states and different countries, PLUS, the difference of who the winemaker is and the style.

How many hundreds of wines of a type he does not really like does he have to buy and taste before he can stop wasting his money and time. Based on your post, it seems like hundreds. Does not seem terribly realistic.

Tend to agree here. If you don’t like the grape, it isn’t going to be all that different from country to country or region to region. Lots to drink that isn’t Cabernet.

[Marc_Frontario]

Cab kinda bores me I prefer it blended

[Mike_S]

My father did not like chocolate People would bring him some from Germany, or Switzerland, etc. People could not belive that this was his taste. They thought he had just not had the right one. He never did fine one he liked.

[Marc_Frontario]

My father did not like chocolate People would bring him some from Germany, or Switzerland, etc. People could not belive that this was his taste. They thought he had just not had the right one. He never did fine one he liked.

A case study in where a (.) can be really helpful

[Howard_Cooper]

I think the point here is that this variety - and in combination with other Bordeaux varieties - is by far the most widely consumed and talked about variety here in the US and arguably around the world. It dominates discussions of both wine geeks and casual wine drinkers alike, and when folks are ‘uncertain’ about what to order, this is always one of the go to’s that people fall back on.

I enjoy the variety from time to time but find it does not offer me the ‘same complexity’ as other varieties do in general. There are plenty of exceptions to this, and opening up and sharing a decades old Cab or cab-dominated Bordeaux is always a treat.

As with everything else in life, to each their own . . .

Cheers!

Larry, this is really the reasoning behind it. All of my friends who care about wine are into cabs in one of their forms, whether it be the Cali stuff or Bordeaux. And again, I think a lot of them are pretty damn good. Just never make me say wow, which I kind of expect for the money being spent.

So much appreciated to all the respondents. Now I can go tell all of my friends that it’s okay for me to just not be that interested…

So we can calibrate better, what wines have made you say wow?

[Robert.A.Jr]

Cab kinda bores me I prefer it blended

Franc makes the Cab!

[AlexS]

Cab kinda bores me I prefer it blended

Franc makes the Cab!

Huh – say that again??

Or wait, Mr. “Special” Alfert…are you saying Cab Sauv/Cab Franc blends are the true way???

[Robert.A.Jr]

I said what I said! You never listen.

[AlexS]

I said what I said! You never listen.

Are you my ex-wife??

Btw man, Happy Holidays!

[Dan_Sch]

[/quote]

Larry, this is really the reasoning behind it. All of my friends who care about wine are into cabs in one of their forms, whether it be the Cali stuff or

So we can calibrate better, what wines have made you say wow?
[/quote]

A great number of wines. An 1994 Barolo (forget producer), Bonacorssi Etna Crucimonaci, a 1999 Alsace Grand Cru Pinot Gris (unknown producer), a 2010 Knez Cerise PN, a 2009 Huet Le Haut Lieu Sec, many champagnes, many rieslings, a Theirry Germain francs de pied 2011, a 2000 Andre Brunel CDP, many an hermitage, many Cote roties, Sandhi chardonnays, ceritas chardonnays, Hirsch Pinots, witching Stick Cerise PN, many burgundy reds and whites…Porter creek Carignan… so a lot of different stuff.

But to reiterate: I have really liked many Cab based wines. Just never made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.