Decanter Cellar: 20 of the best Cabernet Sauvignons

Ask someone to name a grape that makes red wine and there’s a high chance they’ll name Cabernet Sauvignon.

One of the most-planted red grape varieties in the world, it can be found making some of the world’s most prestigious wines as well as those found in supermarkets at bargain prices.

20 of the best Cabernet Sauvignons recently tasted by Decanter are listed below

Origins and characteristics

The offspring of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon seems to have emerged in south-western France – likely around Bordeaux – in the 17th Century.

It is often noted that the grape was first expressly planted and produced at the Pauillac estates of Château Mouton Rothschild and (now stablemate) Château d’Armailhac.

Cabernet Sauvignon grows happily in a variety of climates, its thick skins protect it reasonably well from rot and it can give high yields.

Like Chardonnay, these attributes as well as the prestige of the variety in its native region, have seen Cabernet Sauvignon planted worldwide.

Although it is used to produce wines at every price level, Cabernet Sauvignon is of course renowned for its star turns in regions such as Bordeaux, Napa, Bolgheri and elsewhere.

It shares several key traits with its parents. Like both of them, it has high levels of pyrazines, which give it tell-tale herbaceous aromas of green bell pepper.

Outside of Europe, the usually riper expressions of Cabernet are known to exhibit notes of mint or eucalyptus.

A late-ripening variety, it is capable of giving a great deal of colour and tannins, with aromas and flavours of ripe black fruit.

It’s full-bodied nature often sees it undergo oak ageing, especially in new oak, which can last from 1-2 years and sometimes even longer. This treatment gives it additional aromas of vanilla, cedar, tobacco and smoke.

Its inherent qualities make it very well-suited to ageing. At their apex, wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon can be among the longest-lived table wines, capable of ageing for many decades, even a century or more.

Team player

Occasionally made in glorious isolation – usually in warmer non-European regions such as Napa Valley, Coonawarra or Maipo – Cabernet Sauvignon is more often found with a supporting cast around it.

In its ancestral home of Bordeaux’s left bank, Cabernet Sauvignon is usually found with its frequent dance partner Merlot, its parent Cabernet Franc with an occasional sprinkling of Petit Verdot and even Malbec.

This is the famed ‘Bordeaux blend’ – occasionally known as ‘Meritage’ in North America – which has become a standard for fine wines of its type on nearly every winemaking continent.

There are also local twists. In Australia, for example, Cabernet and Shiraz form a potent pairing.

Sometimes Cabernet takes a minor role such as in Penfolds Grange. Sometimes its the lead variety, such as Yalumba’s The Signature blend.

In the Cape, meanwhile, there’s a spin on the Bordeaux blend where Cabernet might find itself paired with Merlot, Syrah and Pinotage.

And, in Italy, Cabernet often forms the base of many Super Tuscans, where it might find itself given a little extra local flavour blended with Sangiovese – such as in Tignanello.

Below are a selection of 20 of the top-rated Cabernet Sauvignon wines – both mono-varietal or where it comprises at least 50% of a blend – that have been tasted by the Decanter team and our expert contributors in the past year.

Click here to see more than 10,000 reviews of Cabernet Sauvignon by Decanter