Berton vineyard, Coonawarra Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, Australia
There’s a lot of cheap Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia that is pretty poor and it show that it pays to go up a notch or 2 in price. At £15 a bootle it’s reasonable value. Dry, firm but well integrated tannins and decent flavours of blackcurrant, black plum, chocolate and tobacco hints and a pinch of eucalyptus coupled with decent length make this and enjoyable red.
Robert Oatley, Cabernet Sauvignon, Signature Series, 2019, Margaret River, Australia
This Cabernet Sauvignon from Robert Oatley is a big red wine showing off the heat of Australia. Dry, solid tannins but pretty smooth. I think a few more years laying down would help to soften it a bit more. The flavours are intense with blackberry and hedgerow berries, leather, oak are in there but that intensity is a bit over the top.
A rich beef strew or bbq would pair with this wine very well. At £13 a bottle it’s reasonably price but not my first choice.
Cakebread Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013, Napa Valley, USA
I always get a warm fuzzy feeling when I try a Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon and this 2013 vintage is no exception. Dry, bold, smooth and with plenty of aromas and flavours of plum, blackberry, tobacco and oak with a hint of earthiness and vanilla. The only down side to this is the price of about £60 a bottle
Cliff Lede, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013, Stag’s leap District, Napa Valley, USA
Stag’s leap District is well-known in Napa Valley and around the world for producing fantastic red wine. This red wine from cliff lede is really outstanding. It’s full of red and black fruits and is full-bodied but very well-balanced with well-integrated tannins and acidity. It’s fantastic with steak, in our case we had venison stew.
The only downside is it’s price which at £55 is quite a significant amount. It’s a shame as it will put people off trying it.
Maipo valley produces a lot of Chilean wine and most of it is actually really good, it’s consistent. I think this is a really good example Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon although not sure the Gran Reserva label adds to the taste.
It’s a dry red thats pretty bold with firm tannings. The aromas of red fruit, leather and a slight smokiness on the nose which is joined by plum and oak on the taste which has good length and under £10 a bottle this is really good value definitely ones are having especially with a lump of meat, game bird or tomato pasta dish.
Indomita, Gran Reserva, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017, Maipol, Chile
I had never heard of Fourth Wave Wine or their Farm Hand, Organic, Cabernet Sauvignon but I certainly like it. You get a hit of blueberry and then blackberry on the nose with additional flavours of cherry and this is a very fruit driven, soft but very dry red wine. It’s not complicated, just well rounded and very easy drinking.
It only got a commended at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 which is stingy, bronze medal surely! At £9 a bottle it’s great value and worth a case any day.
Fourth Wave Wine, Farm Hand, Organic, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, NSW, Australia
Majestic, Parcel Series, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA
I am a big fan of majestics parcel series wines and this Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is a classic example why. For this particular wine it’s best to leave its open up so decant beforehand. Initially the aromas and flavors were quite lacking when we tried it on the second day it opened up there was a huge difference, much much better.
There are aromas and flavours plum and black fruits with some vanilla, and chuck of spice which adds to the dry smooth finish which on day 2 was a decent length. Its one of the better Cabernet Sauvignons out there, from anywhere. At £25 a bottle on a single bottle price it’s expensive but on a mix 6 it comes to a very reasonable £16.
Mission Hill in the Okanagan Valley, Canada is a premium winery by any standard and this Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a classy wine. Its not a full on, ball breaking Cab Sauv though.
At 9 years old this has aged well, the aromas and flavours a restrained, more than subtle, like a rock climber scaling a cliff face and each hand or foot exactly where it should be. There’s pepper, herbal, blackcurrant and an underlying smokey note on the nose and additional sour cherry, plum and black olive with hints of an earthy undertone. Its a mid bodied wine, pretty smooth but with tannins in there and very dry. Its best drunk now as I can see the flavours and aromas weaken over time.
At £15 a bottle its good value
Mission Hill, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011, Okanagan Valley, Canada
We went to Chateau De Berne and carried this Rouge 2014 back from Provence.
Wine in a square bottle is a De Berne thing, thankfully it doesn’t adversely effect the wine. Made with mostly with Syrah and chunk of Cabernet Sauvignon this is a dry, medium red colour and reasonably light wine. You get a hit of black cherry and plum on the noise with a hint of herbacious in there. This follows through in the taste with medium tannings and a pretty smooth texture. This is a fruit driven wine more than big tannins that grip your mouth.
At about Eur20 a bottle its not cheap, its good but a little overpriced.
Chateau De Berne, Rouge 2014, Provence, France
This Vik wine is made for Majestic and at £15 a bottle when you buy a mix 6 (any 6 bottles) you expect something pretty good. Is it good?
Well its got big flavours and aromas of blackcurrant, coffee and cassis with hints of vanilla and firm tannins that grip the mouth. Its a wine that I would want food with. Meat or strong cheese to allow it to cut through the foods fat and bring balance.
Its a little pricey for me, its good but £15 a bottle its a bit much.
Vik, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Chile