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Slideshow
Top 15 Cabernet Sauvignons
This year saw the drinks business build on its successful Masters series with the introduction of a competition dedicated to the world’s most widely planted grape variety, often referred to as the “King of the grapes”, Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Drinks Business Global Cabernet Sauvignon Masters stands out for its assessment of wines purely by grape variety rather than region.
Divided only by price bracket and whether the style was oaked or unoaked, the blind tasting format allowed wines to be assessed without prejudice about their country of origin.
Wines were scored out of 100, with those gaining over 95 points being awarded the top title of Master. Those earning over 90 points were given a Gold, those over 85 points a Silver and those over 80 points a Bronze.
The wines were judged by a stellar panel of Masters of Wine at Elysee restaurant in Goodge Street on 8 May.
The judges were: Mark Savage MW of Savage Selection, Sebastian Payne MW of The Wine Society, Demetri Walters MW of Berry Bros & Rudd, Rebecca Palmer of Corney & Barrow, Justin Knock MW of Encirc, Vanessa Cinti of CUT at 45 Park Lane and Hugo Rose MW of the Wine Investment Association.
Joining our MW’s on the judging panel were Patrick Schmitt, editor of the drinks business, and deputy editor Lucy Shaw.
With over 200 entries from nine different countries, click through to find out which wines topped our list…
15. Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 & Black Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Two wines from the Wynns stable struck gold in our competition. The former, John Riddoch 2010, was first made in 1982 and conceived as the flagship wine for the Coonawarra-based estate, while the latter, Black Label 2008 was first produced in 1954, with chief winemaker, Sue Hodder counting to carry the torch for the Coonawarra region.
14. Jackson Family Wines Stonestreet Monument Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Sourced from a handful of blocks situated on the spine of the primary mountain crest that runs through the Alexander Valley estate, the 2010 vintage includes a splash of Petit Verdot and Malbec to round out the Cabernet.
13. Bird in Hand Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
In 1997, Bird in Hand’s winemaker, Andrew Nugent, planted the seeds of the Bird in Hand vineyard and olive grove across 100 acres of fertile ground in the Adelaide Hills. The 2010 vintage of the resulting Bird in Hand Cabernet is made from grapes crushed in open top fermentors, this limited edition Cab is pumped over twice daily to maximise flavour and tannin extraction and then matured in tight-grained new and one year old French oak for 16 months.
12. Cederberg Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Situated at over 1,000 metres altitude, Cederberg is one of South Africa’s highest altitude wineries. Run by fifth generation owner/winemaker David Nieuwoudt, the Five Generations Cabernet represents the pinnacle of what the estate can achieve with the variety, combining power and elegance.
11. Cono Sur Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
While better known for its plethora of Pinot Noirs, organically farmed Chilean Estate Cono Sur makes mighty fine Cabernet too. This single vineyard example comes from the El Recurso vineyard in the Maipo Valley whose alluvial soils contribute to the wine’s deep colour and aromatic complexity.
10. Terramater Altum Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Also hailing from Chile’s Maipo Valley is this lightly oaked Cab from an estate founded by three sisters – Gilda, Edda and Antonieta Canepa – in 1996.
9. Savanha Naledi Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Another entry from South Africa, according to its makers, Savanha wines offer “a taste of South African sunshine at every level, at the best value possible.”
8. Terranoble Reserva Terroir Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Another Chilean entry, this time from an estate in the Central Valley founded in 1993, the grapes for this Cab hail from Los Lingues, located in the footholds of the Andes mountains in the Colchagua Valley.
7. Taylors Promised Land Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
A single bottle of first growth Bordeaux first drew Bill Taylor to the Clare Valley with the intent of producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. This Cab in particular is crafted from quality fruit sourced from both the family’s Clare Valley estate along with grapes from Padthaway.
6. Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009
Made in one of the world’s Cabernet heartland’s – Australia’s Margret River – the Stevens Valley site was chosen in particular for this Cab due to its gravelly slopes and a block of 35-year-old vines, which add to the complexity of the blend. Visitors to the estate are greeted by a giant Australian flag hoisted up onto the tallest flagpole in the country.
5. Bodegas La Rosa Finca La Escondida Reserve 2013 & Cientoquince CXV
Founded in 1892, Bodegas La Rosa has prided itself on making affordable Argentine wine for over a century. Based in Santa Maria, a province of Catamarca just south of Salta, the estate, owned by Peñaflor, reserves its best grapes for Finca Escondida Reserva, which are harvested by hand and, after fermentation, spend a year in French oak. The Cientoquince meanwhile, was created to mark the 115th anniversary of the estate.
4. Santa Rita Medalla Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Proving Chile has become a serious contender in the Cabernet steaks is this wine from Santa Rita. Hailing from the Maipo Valley, each lot is individually vinified for optimum ripeness and then aged in French oak barrels.
3. Torres Mas la Plana 2010
The first of three wines to achieve the top honour of a Master medal, Torres’ Mas La Plana is made from Cabernet grown in a 29 hectare vineyard of the same name in Penedès. Going against the grain, the Cab is housed in a Burgundy bottle and has been turning heads since it first came to be in 1970.
2. Pascual Toso Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Another Master winner, this award winner comes from Argentine estate Pascual Toso, which was founded in Mendoza by Piedmont-born Toso in 1890. Hiring Paul Hobbs to consult in 2001, today the bodega enjoys success in the international market. The hand picked grapes in the Reserve Cabernet hail from the Barrancas vineyard in Maipú.
1. Katnook Founder’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Topping our list is this Master medal winner from Coonwarra. Named in honour of the original land holding of John Riddoch, the founder of Coonawarra, according to its makers, the Founder’s Block range is styled for everyday drinking due to their fruit driven nature and “pure” Coonawarra character. Made using minimal oak maturation, approximately 15% of the 2010 vintage was matured in a combination of French and American barriques.
You’ll loose your credibility publishing such random results as this. It is very limited; probably because nobody bothered to send in samples, but worst of all it is so inconsistent – who can’t spot an overworked Chilean from an above average Australian from a Spanish brett bomb?? Completely out of touch with the wine world, but worst of all, completely out of touch with the consumer. Meaningless and laughable – come down from Cloud Cuckoo Land. If you are going to conduct such a tasting, make the effort to get the best cabernets from around the world and include different types of commercially talented and fault sensitive judges – a few specialists from the new world who reside in the UK may help.
While Jacques Hughes’ comments are rather harsh, and not to discredit the wines selected here, it is unthinkable that you couldn’t find a larger sample. Agree totally meaningless…
I would have hoped you held yourselves to a higher standard.
These results were not generated randomly, and this list is just a snapshot. As the introduction above explains, these 15 wines were selected by a set of extremely experienced tasters in a blind tasting of over 200 wines which were entered into the competition by producers from nine different countries.
We have yet to post online the full list of medallists, but the results will be featured in July edition of The Drinks Business. If you subscribe to the magazine, you will be able to see the list of all the medallists, as well as a full report on the tasting, and the trends that emerged from it.
This list online features only the Gold and Master winning wines from a range of price bands.
WHO ARE THE TASTERS ? , WHERE ARE THE PRICES ?
is it advertising ? 🙂
Jacques Hughes, if you actually read the column, the tasters were MW’s – a certification that, most likely, qualifies their opinion to be far more valid than yours or mine. I think the selections mentioned online are a refreshing look at some of the vineyards and producers from different parts of the world that many consumers don’t think of when it comes to world class Cabernet. Napa and Bordeaux can take a backseat for at least one article. Besides, the Mas La Plana is one if the best Cabs I’ve ever had from anywhere, Napa and France imcluded. So, a list that includes it, is alright by me.
Will Moore, I did notice that many of the judges are MWs and I do hold many of them in high esteem, but I would have also liked to have seen their viewpoint balanced by tasters from the other end of the spectrum e.g. winemakers who make Cabernet Sauvignon, Australian circuit judges, experienced commercial wine buyers, ‘fault meisters’ etc. I would have also liked to have seen some of the best Cabernets in the world vying for the top places. The fact that you think Mas La Plana is one of the greatest cabernets ‘from anywhere’, probably puts you firmly into the traditionalists camp – I guess that one of your favourite Chateauneufs is Ch. de Beaucastel and that you also enjoy the wines of Ch. Musar; you probably also enjoy Northern Italian classics. There is nothing wrong with this, but it just proves that there are two sides to the coin and therefore a more eclectic judging panel with broader range of experiences would be much better.
I can’t wait to see the results of all 200+.
All
Ok…let’s calm down a little. Living on the West Coast of US, and having made my own cabernet over the years in CA, and judging internationally, I too feel that this Top 15 does seem to ignore/discount arguably some of the best Cabernets made in the world; e.g Bolgheri based wines, top Napa or Washignton Cabernets, top Pauillac etc.
It will be quite useful to see the full list, therefore.
As to the qualifications of the Judges–I know all of these people. I can assure you (Jacques) they are broadly experienced, very open-minded, a couple ARE winemakers.
I will say, however, that to perform such a tasting (without tongue in cheek!) requires purchasing/obtaining a huge range of wines to ever be considered a definitive “masters” tasting of cabernet. I fear that the selection available was too limited, hence the high number of South American representatives, the low number of American, typical of the UK market.
Were Medoc wines not allowed, unless they reached the 85% minimum content to be considered “varietal”?
What about Italy? IF John Riddoch was a winner (as it should be!) where was Penfolds Bin 707 for example?
Thus, I don’t quibble with the results, but I do say that to make this a Realistic, solidly based tasting, one would need to have at least 500-1000 wines, not just those obtained freely, but also purchased.
To my mind, and perhaps because I was a Senior Judge, I remember several years ago judging at the IWC. I remember very well when the results came out for the Cabernet group trophy, over 1500 wines were evaluated, and the winner was from the company I then worked for: 1997 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet. It was/is a superb wine still, and I think the runners-up included 1996 Mouton among others. The point is, I would argue that this type of tasting with so many more examples to pull from, represents a much better articulation of what constitutes a definitive “best Cabernets” in the world tasting. –Joel Butler MW
Just to add that the minimum Cabernet content required for this tasting was 75%, although the blends were tasted separately from the varietal examples, and the majority of entries were 100% Cab. The entries were mostly from outside Europe, and the majority were in the £10-20 price band, with just over 40 wines entered into the £40 plus category.
For a report on a blind tasting of the world’s most expensive/famous Cabernet blends, including all five first growths, please see this link covering a different tasting I took part in last year: http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2013/11/ducru-beaucaillou-declared-worlds-best-cabernet-blend/
I agree with Joel Butler, he just put it more eloquently than I could. But Patrick, your tasting of the worlds ‘most expensive’ Cabernet blends was also a futile exercise – I won’t go into detail as it is obvious to most.
Jacques, the tasting of famous Cabs wasn’t mine, but, as clearly stated in the report, it was organised by Chris Hatcher from Wolf Blass.