It’s International Cabernet Sauvignon Day today, so time to get the measure of this grape with some classic examples from classic regions. If you want to know a little more about this grape and really get under its skin, I’ve also made my HelenaSips Wine Academy video and article live and FREE for a limited time. Check it out here: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pro Rugby Player of Wine! In the meantime, here’s your Cabernet Sauvignon Sips Safari:
Bordeaux, France
Start with the OG region for Cabernet and head straight to Bordeaux, France - specifically, the Left Bank of the river Gironde and the villages of Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux and Saint-Estèphe. Try these:
Château Beau-Site, St Estèphe 2014, £25 Co-op
A very smart wine for the Co-op and, given the age on it, exceptionally well priced. This is classic left Bank Bordeaux: restrained and elegant with notes of graphite, blackcurrant and cedar.
Chateau Cantemerle 2020, £45 (£30 case price), Laithwaites
A fab, premium Claret made by the ex-consultant for Lafite and other First Growths. From a generous vintage that’s just showing some age, think spiced cassis, cedar and tobacco.
Coonawarra, Australia
Compare your Bordeaux with a New World Cabernet from Coonawarra in Australia for a fuller-bodied, less tannic and juicier version with tonnes of blackcurrant and a characteristic minty twang.
Deluxe Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Australia, £6.99 Lidl
For a cheap-as-chips version that gives a decent idea of a Coonawarra style, try this. It’s sweet and simple, like boozy Ribena with a hint of mint.
Little Giant Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, £13 Waitrose
With extra points for its eye-catching bottle, this bold and fruity, eucalyptus-scented wine is a perfect example of Cab from this specific region. It’s so easy to drink but has structure too.
Napa Valley, California
Napa wines will typically come with hefty price tag but they are serious, nuanced and concentrated. They’ll also need a few years to soften up with age.
*Finest Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, £16.50 Tesco
It’s unusual to find Napa Cabernet below, well £40 a bottle but Tesco have done a decent job with this. Full-bodied and grippy, this is a bold, concentrated wine. Decant it to soften it and release that cassis spice. Better with a steak and it’ll age well too.
Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Napa Valley, £70 Winedirect.co.uk
This Cab from an iconic, historic estate was part of the famous 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting where California took on France and won. This is a standout wine that’s drinking now but will be even better with time. Think black cherry and blueberry spice, dark chocolate, dried tobacco and coffee bean.
Also try these Cabernet Sauvignon wines
Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon. Colchagua Valley, Chile
£12.90 Easywineshop.co.uk
Chile produces excellent, easy-drinking cabernets, especially from the warmer regions of the Colchagua and Maipo Valleys. Smooth, rich and spicy, this is very easy-going. A great ‘plug-and-play’ Cab that’s ideal with roast beef or a nut roast.
Robert Oatley Semaphore Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Australia
£14.25 Co-op
Known as the ‘Bordeaux of Australia’ thanks to its gravelly soils, Margaret River in Western Australia makes fabulous wines like this, somewhere in between the more restrained Bordeaux style and more exuberant wines of Coonawarra. This is elegant and perfumed, with structure yet still easy-drinking.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Columbia Valley, USA
£19 (£13 mix 6) Majestic
A more acceptably priced alternative to Napa Valley Cabernets adn easy to drink earlier, this comes from Washington’s oldest winery. It’s bold and juicy with notes of vanilla fudge and plum jam.
Hickinbotham ‘Trueman’ Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale, Australia 2020
£68 VINVM
For a standout, new world Cabernet, the McLaren Vale is a great place to look and Hickinbotham is a name to know. This is showing its age nicely; like a posh Claret but with more generous fruit and gorgeous notes of mocha, rose petal and herbs. An excellent wine to gift - as long as you can drink it with them!
Did you know that Cabernet was the Pro Rugby Player of wine Grapes?
Gonna get that Waitrose one for sure, maybe the Tesco one too
Nice selection Helena, especially the 'Little Giant' 'Ch St Michelle' and the 'Robert Oatley'