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Cabernet Sauvignon Masters 2018: Results and analysis

This year’s Cabernet Sauvignon Masters showed that producers from all over the globe have what it takes to make beautiful expressions from this popular grape, writes Rupert Millar.

HEADING INTO the room at the Bluebird restaurant in Chelsea, where this year’s Cabernet Masters were held, those who happened to glance to their right would have seen a rather striking model of one of Sir Malcolm Campbell’s Rolls- Royce Blue Birds.

It was one of those fantastic, Thunderbird-esque machines that to this day, even from pictures or scaled-down models, positively radiates power, sleek elegance and the thrilling feel of barely controlled speed with complete effortlessness. This is rather what one would hope for from Cabernet Sauvignon, especially New World examples, when all pistons are pumping.

About the competition

In a crowded wine competition arena, the Drinks Business Global Cabernet Sauvignon Masters stands out for its assessment of wines purely by grape variety rather than by region. Divided only by price bracket and, for ease of judging, whether the style was oaked or unoaked, the blind-tasting format allowed wines to be assessed without prejudice about their country of origin. The best wines were awarded medals which ranged from Bronze through to Gold, as well as Master, the ultimate accolade, given only to exceptional wines in the tasting. The wines were judged by a cherrypicked group of Masters of Wine and senior buyers on 8 June at Bluebird restaurant in west London. This report only features the medalwinners.

It was a very New World-heavy line-up this year – no great surprise given the medal hunger that exists among producers in the southern hemisphere – but there was a streak of French and Italian Cabernets to add a little Old World competition and a few surprises lay in wait from Israel, Lebanon and Turkey, hoping to catch out the unwary.

Cabernet is the most widely planted grape variety in the world. From Bordeaux to Napa to Coonawarra, for many producers Cabernet and Cabernet blends are the yardstick against which some of the world’s greatest wines are measured. Producers in places as far flung as Ningxia in China often turn to Cabernet to try to establish their nascent reputations.

Cabernet can be a cruel mistress, however. Capable of great and delicious diversity from cooler red fruit and pleasant green pepper to lush cassis, tobacco and vanilla when well handled, in the wrong hands or climate it can equally be made into the extremes of a thin and stalky disappointment or a jammy, stewed, over-extracted and oaked mess with an ’ambitious’ price tag to boot.

Fortunately, the overall standard was really very good (six Masters were awarded), a point picked up on by Patricia Stefanowicz MW, who noted: “In the 2018 Masters, the quality of the wines, from inexpensive to stratospherically expensive, was generally high. The wines were, for the most part, medal-worthy, juicy, well-balanced and delivering a good glass.” For Victoria Burt MW, the wines that failed to rise higher than Bronze showed: “A lack of freshness and vibrancy.

This was often combined with a hollowness (lack of mid-palate weight) along with high, grippy tannins, which Cabernet Sauvignon can be known for, but does not make for an enjoyable drinking experience.” On the other hand, the higher scorers, “were those with a core of fresh fruit, often with subtle herbaceous bell pepper, menthol character, well-integrated oak, and well balanced fruit concentration, acid and tannic structure.”

MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT Heading one of the judging tables, Jonathan Pedley MW added: “Only a few wines showed excessive greenness (traditionally a curse of Cabernet Sauvignon).

Oak was generally well handled. A couple of wines were overextracted.” He was also impressed by a “massive improvement” in the number of wines not blighted by reduction. “Perhaps winemakers are getting better at handling screwcaps and preserving fruit without going too far and getting reduced aromas?” he suggested.

For a grape variety renowned for making some of the most expensive wines in the world, however, if there was one category that all of the judges commented on particularly favourably for its quality and consistency it was the sub-£10 bracket. “They were consistent in how good they were,” Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW noted approvingly. “Good value for money.” “There seemed to be some really good efforts at the lower price points, sub £10 – where the focus was on drinkability and freshness,” agreed Alistair Cooper MW, while Robin Kinahan MW liked their “attractive varietal characteristics and not too much oak or alcohol”. It was in the middle sections, £10-£15 and even £15-£20, where Cabernet should really be getting into its stride, that there were some frustrating wines of the sort that exhibited all of the worst traits of Cabernet, when winemakers are trying too hard.

Cherutti-Kowal said the wines she tasted in the £10-£15 category had been a “weird” mix, with some admittedly “good”, but a few that were outclassed by the some of those under £10. However, she was more impressed by the £15-£20 category, which she thought had yielded some “very good wines in a difficult price range”. Just how good is clear by the fact that one of the five Masters awarded was to Château Ste Michelle’s 2015 Columbia Valley Cabernet in that very bracket; the tasting note from db editor-in-chief Patrick Schmitt MW highlighted its “sweet black fruit” and almost a “Syrah pepper note” on the nose, as well as “lovely olive-y and cassis characters” on the palate, which was multi-layered and balanced.

It was generally felt that over £20, and especially when prices rose beyond £30, that quality hit a very consistent level that justified their higher cost. Hotter alcohol stood out on occasion, thought Kinahan, “but also lots of eucalyptus, which I like”. Otherwise, considered Stefanowicz, “we were straying into gold dust regularly. Above £30 the wines performed as they should: delectable, beautiful, concentrated and lingering, with gorgeous expression of Cabernet Sauvignon flavours and well-integrated oak.”

THE LION’S SHARE When it came to medal-winners, Australia and the US took the lion’s share of the top medals, with the US making off with two Masters to boot. Pedley said there were some “disappointments from regions that should have done better”, and he singled out Australia’s Coonawarra in this. Cooper, on the other hand, thought “there were a couple of wines from the Clare Valley that were impressive”. “I have long been a fan of Clare Valley Cabernet, and would love to see more of it,” he says. “They have the ability to have real coolness of fruit but with a classic Cabernet structure and aromatics behind them.”

It was a rather mixed bag from South America, with some very strong wines, especially in the sub-£10 category, where there were some punchy, over-achieving wines, but they seemed to falter a little further up the scale, with at times just a touch too much of a herbaceous character among the Chileans. Rather pleasingly, a country that put on a better showing than usual was South Africa.

Although one or two were still “a little too robust”, according to Stefanowicz, there was much less of the ‘charred/burnt’ and ‘rubbery’ characteristics that are still lingering marks of some Southern African reds and there was a good haul of Gold and Silver medals for the wines. Old World regions weren’t entirely left out of the upper echelons of the medals either, and a French and an Italian wine were given Masters medals, the former going to Château La Coste from Provence, and the latter to Conti di San Bonifacio from Tuscany – another example of Cabernet’s ability to turn out top-class wines in this rather unlikely corner of Europe.

Among some of the more ‘esoteric’ regions there was something of a split too, with some of the wines showing very well, such as Turkish winery Chamlija, which picked up two Golds, but a few others, again often at quite high levels, “did not show well”, said Pedley. Nonetheless, despite a few bumps in the road, the tasting showed that ‘King Cab’ continues not only to survive but thrive throughout the wine world, and at all price points it remains a pretty consistent bet.

Unoaked – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Company Wine Name Region Country Vintage Medal
Under £10
VSPT Wine Group Santa Helena Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon Santiago Chile 2017 Silver

Oaked – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Company Wine Name Region Country Vintage Medal
Under £10
Viña Santa Rita Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon Santiago Chile 2017 Silver
Via Wines Chilensis Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Valle Colchagua Chile 2017 Silver
Via Wines Chliensis Special Selection Central Valley Chile 2017 Silver
Aresti Chile Wine Bellavista Cabernet Sauvignon Curicó Valley Chile 2016 Silver
Domaine Boyar International Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon Thracian Lowlands Bulgaria 2016 Silver
Domaine Boyar International Bolgare Cabernet Sauvignon Thracian Lowlands Bulgaria 2016 Bronze
Trivento Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Mendoza Argentina 2017 Bronze
Viña Maipo Vitral Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Central Valley Chile 2016 Bronze
Trinchero Family Estates Sutter Home California Cabernet Sauvignon California USA NV Bronze
Via Wines Chilcas Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Valle Colchagua Chile 2017 Bronze
VSPT Wine Group Santa Helena Reserva de Oro Santiago Chile 2017 Bronze
£10-£15
Valentin Bianchi Bianchi Particular Cabernet Sauvignon San Rafael, Mendoza Argentina 2015 Gold
Menage a Trois Decadence California USA 2016 Silver
Viña Tabalí Pedregoso Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva Valle del Maipo Chile 2016 Silver
Château Ksara Cabernet Sauvignon Beqaa Valley Lebanon 2015 Silver
Wakefield/Taylors Wines Wakefield/Taylors Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia Australia 2016 Silver
Château Tanunda Grand Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Valley- Bethany Australia 2016 Silver
DeBortoli Wines Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Yarra Valley Australia 2015 Silver
Pernod Ricard Winemakers Pty Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Coonawarra Australia 4th Vintage Silver
Cordier Enjoy La Vie Fabuleux Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux France 2015 Silver
El Esteco Cabernet Sauvignon Calchaquies Argentina 2016 Silver
Distell Limited Durbanville Hills Collector’s Reserve The Castle of Good Hope Cabernet Sauvignon Cape Town/Durbanville South Africa 2016 Silver
Trinchero Family Estates Three Thieves California Republic California USA 2016 Silver
Distell Limited Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch South Africa 2014 Bronze
Distell Limited Fleur du Cap Series Privée Stellenbosch South Africa 2015 Bronze
Australian Vintage Limited Nepenthe Altitude Cabernet Sauvignon Adelaide Hills Australia 2016 Bronze
Pernod Ricard Winemakers Pty Jacob’s Creek Reserve Limestone Coast Limestone Coast Australia 2016 Bronze
Barkan Wine Cellars Assemblage Reihan Upper Galilee Israel 2013 Bronze
Viña Siegel Siegel Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua Chile 2016 Bronze
£15-£20
Chamlija Cabernet Sauvignon Thrace Turkey 2016 Gold
Langmeil Winery Kernel Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Australia 2016 Gold
Wakefield/Taylors Wines Reserve Parcel Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia Australia 2015 Gold
Wakefield/Taylors Wines Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia Australia 2015 Gold
Trapiche Gran Medalla Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza Argentina 2015 Gold
Wakefield/Taylors Wines One Giant Leap Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia Australia 2016 Silver
Viña Siegel Siegel Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua Chile 2015 Silver
Ernie Els Wines Ernie Els Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch South Africa 2015 Silver
Viña Cousiño Macul Double U Santiago Chile 2014 Silver
Trapiche Medalla Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza Argentina 2015 Silver
Viña Tabalí Talud Vabernet Sauvignon Valle del Maipo Chile 2015 Silver
Trivento Bodeyas y Viñedos Golden Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Uco Valley, Mendoza Argentina 2015 Silver
Viña Cousiño Macul Antiguas Reservas Santiago Chile 2015 Bronze
Trinchero Family Estates Joel Gott California 815 Cabernet Sauvignon California USA 2015 Bronze
Langmeil Winery Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Australia 2016 Bronze
Australian Vintage Limited McGuigan Shortlist Coonawarra Coonawarra Australia 2016 Bronze
Kavaklidere Saraplari Egeo Cabernet Sauvignon Aegon Turkey 2015 Bronze
Mascota Vineyards Gran Mascota Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza Argentina 2015 Bronze

Oaked – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Company Wine Name Region Country Vintage Medal
£20-£30
Australian Vintage Limited Tempus Two Pewter Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra Australia 2016 Gold
Distell Limited Nederburg II Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon Paarl South Africa 2013 Gold
Barkan Wine Cellars Altitude 720 Upper Galilee Israel 2012 Silver
Marchesi Mazzei Philip Toscana IGT Tuscany Italy 2015 Silver
Château Tanunda Noble Baron Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Valley Australia 2016 Silver
DeBortoli Wines Melba Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Yarra Valley Australia 2015 Silver
RedHeads Wines The Whiphand Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Australia 2016 Silver
Upper Bench Estate Winery Upper Bench Estate Cabernet Sauvignon BC Okanagan Valley Canada 2014 Silver
Chilean Grape Group 7 Colores Limited Edition Metropolitan Region Chile 2013 Silver
Ernie Els Wines Ernie Els 2015 Proprietor’s Stellenbosch South Africa 2015 Silver
Barkan Wine Cellars Altitude 585 Upper Galilee Israel 2012 Bronze
Sevilen Sarap Sanayi Sevilen 900 Cabernet Sauvignon İzmir Turkey 2018 Bronze
Pernod Ricard Winemakers Pty St Hugo Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra Australia 2015 Bronze
Barkan Wine Cellars Altitude 624 Upper Galilee Israel 2012 Bronze
£30-£50
Conti di San Bonifacio Docet IGT Franc Tuscany Italy 2013 Master
Trapiche Terroir Series Edición Limitada Finca Laborde Uco Valley Argentina 2014 Gold
Jackson Family Wines Stonestreet Estate Vineyards Alexander Valley USA 2014 Gold
Gatt Wines Gatt High Eden Cabernet Sauvignon Tanunda Australia 2012 Gold
Gatt Wines Gatt Cabernet Sauvignon Tanunda Australia 2014 Gold
Amelia Park Wines Amelia Park Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River Australia 2015 Silver
Gatt Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Tanunda Australia 2012 Silver
Amelia Park Wines Amelia Park Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River Australia 2014 Silver
Wakefield/Taylors Wines St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia Australia 2015 Silver
Distell Limited Nederburg II Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon Paarl South Africa 2014 Silver
Chilean Grape Group 7 Colores Icon Metropolitan Region Chile 2013 Bronze
Château Tanunda 50 Year Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Valley- Bethany Australia 2015 Bronze
Gatt Wines Gatt High Eden Caberent Sauvignon Tanunda Australia 2014 Bronze
£50+
Trinchero Family Estates Trinchero BRV Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Napa Valley USA 2012 Master
Bird in Hand Nest Egg Cabernet Sauvignon Adelaide Hills Australia 2013 Gold
Distell Limited Nederburg Private Bin R163 Paarl South Africa 2015 Gold
Ste Michelle Wine Estates Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Napa Valley USA 2015 Gold
Bird in Hand Nest Egg Cabernet Sauvignon Adelaide Hills Australia 2016 Gold
Levantine Hill Estate Levantine Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Yarra Valley Australia 2015 Gold
Wakefield/Taylors Wines The Visionary Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia Australia 2014 Gold
DeBortoli Wines Melba Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Dixons Creek Australia 2015 Silver

Oaked – Blend

Company Wine Name Region Country Vintage Medal
Under £10
Concha y Toro Casillero Del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon Central Valley Chile 2017 Silver
DeBortoli Wines Deen Vat 9 Cabernet Sauvignon Victoria Australia 2015 Silver
Chilean Grape Group 7 Colores Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Pais Metropolitan Region Chile 2015 Silver
Chilean Grape Group 7 Colores Reserva Metropolitan Region Chile 2017 Silver
Chilean Grape Group 7 Colores Gran Reserva Metropolitan Region Chile 2014 Bronze
£15-£20
Trinchero Family Estates The Show California Cabernet Sauvignon California USA 2015 Gold
Distell Limited Nederburg Heritage Heroes The Brew Master Western Cape South Africa 2015 Gold
Louis M Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa California USA 2014 Gold
Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Maipo Valley Chile 2016 Silver
Charles Smith Wines Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon Washington State USA 2015 Silver
Concha y Toro Gran Reserva Serie Riberas Colchagua Valley Chile 2016 Silver
Chilean Grape Group 7 Colores Reserva de Familia Metropolitan Region Chile 2014 Silver
Bird in Hand Two in the Bush Adelaide Hills Australia 2016 Silver
Viña Santa Rita Santa Rita Medalla Gold Santiago Chile 2015 Bronze
£15-£20
Ste Michelle Wine Estates Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Washington State USA 2015 Master
Louis M Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma California USA 2015 Gold
Mascota Vineyards Unanime Gran Vino Tinto Uco Valley Argentina 2015 Gold
Terranoble Terranoble Gran Reserva Colchagua Chile 2014 Silver
Cavit Quatro Vicariati Rosso Trentino Superiore DOC Trentino Italy 2015 Silver
Chateau La Coste Les Pentes Douces Rouge Provence France 2011 Silver
Trinchero Family Estates Charles & Charles Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah Columbia Valley USA 2015 Bronze
Banfi ASKA Tuscany Italy 2015 Bronze
Chateau Bernardotte Chatea Bernadotte Haut-Medoc Bordeaux France 2014 Bronze
Bird in Hand Cabernet Sauvignon Adelaide Hills Australia 2015 Gold
£20-£30
Growers Wine Group Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Valley Australia 2012 Master
El Esteco Altimus Calchaquies Argentina 2014 Gold
Aresti Chile Wine Family Collection Curicó Valley Chile 2013 Gold
Jackson Family Wines Kendall-Jackson Vintners Reserve Sonoma County USA 2015 Gold
Cakebread Cellars Bakestone Cellars North Coast California California USA 2015 Gold
Chamlija Wines Sui Generis Strandja Mountains Turkey 2015 Gold
Ernie Els Wines Ernie Els 2015 Proprietor’s Blend Stellenbosch South Africa 2015 Silver
Trinchero Family Estates Napa Cellars Napa Valley Napa Valley USA 2015 Silver
Planeta Burdese Sicily Italy 2014 Silver
Viña Cono Sur 20 Barrels Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Chile 2015 Bronze
Viña Siegel Siegel Unique Selection Colchagua Chile 2014 Bronze
Domaine du Grand Mayne Fusion South West France 2015 Bronze
£30-£50
Chateau La Coste Grande Cuvée Provence France 2011 Master
Thompson Estate The Specialist Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River Australia 2014 Gold
Jackson Family Wines Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Napa Valley USA 2014 Gold
Tapanappa Wines Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz Wrattonbully Australia 2014 Gold
Trefethen Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley USA 2015 Gold
Ernie Els Wines Ernie Els Signature Stellenbosch South Africa 2014 Silver
Viña Ventisquero Viña Ventisquero Enclave Pirque Valley, Alto Maipo Chile 2013 Silver
Aresti Chile Wine Código de Familia 380 Curicó Valley Chile 2012 Silver
Distell Limited Alto M.P.H.S. Stellenbosch South Africa 2012 Silver
Chateau La Coste Grand Vin Rouge Provence France 2012 Bronze
£50+
Australian Vintage Limited McGuigan The Philosophy South Australia Australia 2013 Master
Australian Vintage Limited McGuigan The Philosophy South Australia Australia 2010 Gold
Levantine Hill Estate Levantine Hill Samantha’s Paddock Mélange Traditionnel Yarra Valley Australia 2014 Gold
Levantine Hill Estate Levantine Hill Samantha’s Paddock Mélange Traditionnel Yarra Valley Australia 2015 Gold
Australian Vintage Limited McGuigan The Philosophy South Australia Australia 2012 Bronze

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