Comparison
Red Bordeaux vs Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
How Red Bordeaux and Washington Cabernet Sauvignon differ, dimension by dimension.
The short answer
Red Bordeaux and Washington Cabernet Sauvignon are both made from Cabernet Sauvignon, so the difference is about place and winemaking rather than the grape. The main differences: Washington Cabernet Sauvignon has more fruit intensity; Red Bordeaux has more herbal / green character; Red Bordeaux has more earthy character.
The difference here is not botanical. It comes from where the vines grow, how the wine is made and what the name has come to signal commercially — which is exactly why the two taste different in practice.
Choose
Red Bordeaux
Choose Red Bordeaux if you want something more herbal and green, earthier, more savoury.
Choose
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
Choose Washington Cabernet Sauvignon if you want something fruitier, fuller and richer, rounder and creamier in texture.
Where they genuinely differ
Only differences large enough to notice in the glass are listed here. A gap of half a point on a five-point scale is noise, and WineHQ does not dress it up as a finding.
Fruit intensity
Clear differenceHow loudly the fruit flavours speak, independent of whether they are ripe or tart.
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon is fruitier: high against medium.
Herbal / green character
Clear differenceHerbs, grass, blackcurrant leaf, capsicum and other green notes, largely driven by methoxypyrazines and picking decisions.
Red Bordeaux is more herbal and green: medium against low.
Earthy character
Clear differenceForest floor, mushroom, wet stone, clay and undergrowth notes. Frequently, though not exclusively, associated with cooler and more traditional styles.
Red Bordeaux is earthier: medium against low.
Body
Clear differenceThe overall weight and viscosity of the wine in the mouth — a composite of alcohol, sugar, extract and glycerol.
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon is fuller and richer: high against medium-plus.
Savoury character
Clear differenceNon-fruit, umami-adjacent character: meat, leather, olive, soy, broth, cured notes. Often increases with age.
Red Bordeaux is more savoury: medium-plus against medium.
Texture
Clear differenceMouthfeel independent of weight — from lean and cutting through to creamy, waxy or velvety. Driven by lees contact, malolactic conversion, skin contact and ageing.
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon is rounder and creamier in texture: medium-plus against medium.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Sweetness: Similar — both low.
- Acidity: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Tannin: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Alcohol: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Aromatic intensity: Similar — both medium.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Red Bordeaux | Washington Cabernet Sauvignon |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit intensity | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Herbal / green character | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | low (1/5) |
| Earthy character | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | low (1/5) |
| Body | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Savoury character | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Texture | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Sweetness | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Acidity | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Tannin | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Alcohol | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Aromatic intensity | medium (3/5) | medium (3/5) |
| Oak influence | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Floral character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Spice | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Perceived freshness | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Carbonation | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Serve at | 16–18°C | 16–18°C |
| Typical flavours | blackcurrant, plum, cedar, graphite, tobacco | blackcurrant, black cherry, cocoa, graphite, sage |
Values are typical points within each wine’s range. Both wines vary — see the individual pages for how much.
Read more
Style
Red Bordeaux
The blended Cabernet–Merlot benchmark: structured, cedary and built to age, with two distinct characters depending on which bank of the river it comes from.
Style
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
New World ripeness with Old World structure — a product of desert heat and extreme diurnal swing east of the Cascades.
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