There's a great movie from 2008 called "Bottle Shock," with Alan Hickman and Chris Pine and Rachael Taylor and Bill Pullman, about the blind test for the best Cabernet and the shocking win of a California Cab over out the French wines. That movie is a lot of fun and best watched with a bottle of good but inexpensive French Cab AND a bottle of good but inexpensive California Cab. Pour yourself a glass of each and sip as you watch the movie. By the end, you'll be an expert.
To vastly simplify (because there are always differences between years, regions, vineyards, soil, weather, etc.), the California wine counties (Napa, Sonoma) are more desert-like than the regions in France that grow the best Cabernet Sauvignons, Both regions have the hot days and cooler nights that make the grapes grow rich and flavorful, but because Napa and Sonoma are hotter during the days, the same Sauvignon grapes ripen differently. The extra sun gives Napa's Cabernet higher alcohol, higher tannins, and rich ripe flavors that taste "fruitier" than the same grapes grown in Bordeaux. This is why French Cabernets are more restrained, while Napa Cabernets are described by enthusiasts as "fruit bombs."
Personally, I prefer the subtlety of the French Cabs and the Sonoma Cabs to the more robust Napa Cabs--but again, that a gross generalization.


Updated On: 4/3/18 at 10:15 AM