What is a varietal wine?
A varietal wine is simply a wine that uses the name of  the dominant grape from which it was made from, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. There are rules in most areas that must be adhered to to call a wine a varietal. For example, in the United States at least 75% of the wine must come from the grape variety named on the label, while in Australia  it's 80%.

Cabernet Sauvignon

If not the king, as many argue, Cabernet Sauvignon is certainly the most successful and popular of the top quality red wine grapes. It's also the primary grape of most of the top vineyards in Bordeaux's Medoc and Graves districts in France.

The flavor, structure, complexity, and longevity of wines made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape are what makes it so popular. Its fruity flavors have been described as cherry, black cherry, black current (cassis), and raspberry. In addition, other flavor descriptors include minty, cedar, and bell pepper; the words tobacco and smoke are often used to older vintages.

The acids and tannins found in a Cabernet Sauvignon wine will help form the basis for it's structure and longevity. Tannins are found in the skin and seeds of the grapes. The skins of the red grape give color to the wine.

Merlot

Though commonly referred to as simply Merlot, this red wine grape is really Merlot Noir Merlot is the primary grape in Saint Emillon and Pomerol, and one of two primaries (the other being Cabernet Sauvignon) of Bordeaux. Originally Merlot was grown to be blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which dominates in the Medoc and Graves growing areas that produce wines traditionally viewed as Bordeaux's most important.

In French Merlot means 'young blackbird', probably alluding to the grapes beautiful dark blue color. Compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot grapes ripen fairly early and have lower tannins and higher sugar levels. They produce wines that are generally softer and slightly higher in alcohol content. High quality Merlot wines are medium to dark in color, rich and fruity with characteristics of black current, cherry and mint.

Wine Trivia - Merlot is a product of grafting never having its' own root system.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the red grape of France's Burgundy region. It's responsible for the great and expensive red wines from Burgundy Cote' D'or region, which include those from Beaune, Bonnes Mare, Chambertin, Corton, Musingny, Pommard, Richerbourg, Romanee Conti, and Volny.Pinot Noir is thought to have been grown in France for over 2000 years. The Pinot vine is described as 'genetically unstable' because it can mutate very easily making consistency quite difficult.

Good young wines exhibit the simpler characteristics of cherries, plums, raspberries, and strawberries. As the wine matures it displays characteristics including game, chocolate, prunes, smoke and truffles. In the Champagne region Pinot Noir is one of the three grape varieties, along with Chardonnay and Meunier, allowed in the region's sparkling wine.

Zinfandel
Zinfandel, one of California's most versatile and friendly grape varieties, was the mainstay of 19th century winemaking. Much of the world's Zinfandel acreage is planted in the Napa Valley. This varietal is vinified as a light, easy-drinking red and a heavier, richly flavored version that rewards bottle aging as well as a white or "blush" wine. With such a range of wine types, there is a Zinfandel for just about every wine enthusiast and for every imaginable food.

Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc, a French black grape variety, is much blended with and overshadowed by the more widely planted Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc tends to be lighter in color and tannins, therefore earlier maturing than Cabernet Sauvignon. It is typically light to medium bodied with more immediate fruit than Cabernet Sauvignon. Californians have been rearing Cabernet Franc since the late 1960s, and with zeal since the 1980s. It is expected to play an increasingly important role in California. .