CABERNET SAUVIGNON
This elegant lady from Medoc enjoys an historic reputation. There is a reason why she graces the labels of the wine world's leading varietals, which rely on her essence and personality.
She is a bluesy traveling spirit, the road etched into her soul, with deep historical roots. A varietal melody echoing across glasses and chalices since the times of Pliny¹, when the grape was also known asbiturica.
The reasons for Cabernet Sauvignon's enviable status aren’t mere legend, nor stories embedded in the collective unconscious of wine lovers; they are based on solid arguments: the grape’s physiology might be partially responsible for why it adapts so well to different climates, topographical and geographical realities—as a late-budding variety, it can avoid the feared springtime frost. The berries are thick-skinned, with a high skin-to-flesh ratio, as well as being resistant to mold and insects.
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Cabernet Sauvignon at the Mas La Plana vineyard (DO Penedès), a Familia Torres property, at harvest time
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¹Gaius Pliny the Younger- Roman writer, scientist, naturalist, and military man (23-79 A.D.)
This allowed Cabernet Sauvignon to travel, to leave the old continent and reach beyond Europe to the New World, South Africa and Oceania, where it adopted different organoleptic nuances. Low yields, tannic wines with a chiseled body that are elegant, proud in bearing, and high in acidity are common to the varietal paradigm. These wines welcome an oaky slumber and the solitude of complex reduction in the bottle.
However, the variety's many profiles have certain distinctive flavors in common that vary in subtle ways depending on the climatic context:
The classic Cabernet flavors range from layers of fresh blackcurrant (mild climates) to cherry and redcurrant jam (warm climates). In the coolest regions, the redcurrant notes strike a balance with a hint of green reminiscent of pepper, mint and cedar, along with eucalyptus and mentholated notes.
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Vat room at Mas La Plana (Pacs del Penedès), a Familia Torres property
What is self-evident is that Cabernet Sauvignon seeks out oak to offer us the best and most complex version of itself. The magical caress of 12 to 24 months in new oak, and slow bottle aging, accentuate the wine's magnificent structure: understated, with sensual, elegant, aromatic tannins, and a distinctive elegance born from an aristocratic bearing.
Today Mas La Plana—the vineyard, its parcels, and the wine—stands as the heir of the finest winemaking tradition, the result of experimentation and experience. An understanding of varietal entropy led us to identify subtle differences between adjacent parcels that enrich and endow every vintage with an individual identity, giving us a wine that has transcended time and geographical boundaries.
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Vines budding at Mas La Plana vineyard (DO Penedès), a Familia Torres property
Mas La Plana builds on a velvety palate, with warm, intriguing tannins, weaving together ripe black fruit, oak-imparted spices, and a licorice and truffle embrace on the finish; a wine of irresistible charm that leaves one wanting more.
From Bordeaux to the world: these days no one has a sole claim on Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a shared cultural heritage of diverse depths and expressions.