Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerful, tannic red grape of noble heritage. It is the base grape for many red Bordeaux and many of the best red wines from California, Washington, Chile and South Africa. Thick-skinned and late-ripening, it produces a deep colored wine with assertive tannins and an affinity to oak; it often produces wines capable of aging for decades. You can use Wine Enthusiast’s online Buying Guide to find the top-rated Cabernet Sauvignon among our extensive Cabernet Sauvignon wine reviews and easy-to-use database. Our Cabernet Sauvignon reviews will give you a general idea what to expect from wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, and will help you find one that best suits your needs.

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Quilceda Creek 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley (WA))

Cellar Selection

Price $135

A bold, muscular, striking wine with nerves of steel, this offers a dense, demanding array of black fruit threaded with veins of espresso, smoke, tar, tobacco and iron. As it bursts with exotic barrel flavor, the fruit seems a bit buried, but time after time these wines unfold over the course of decades into glorious maturity. These are arguably the most long-lived… — P.G. (9/1/2012)

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Von Strasser 2009 Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Diamond Mountain)

Editors' Choice

Price $70

So enormously delicious, it will be hard to keep from drinking this gorgeous Cabernet right away, and that’s just fine. It’s composed of the most intensly concentrated flavors of blueberries and blackberries—dense, pure and slightly heady with a liqueur-like alcohol. The tannins are classic Diamond Mountain, firm and minerally, while oak plays the perfect role of… — S.H. (10/1/2012)

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Beaulieu Vineyard 1995 Clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford)

Cellar Selection

Price $100

Try to overlook the wine geek name on the label and pay attention to the wine, which is superb from the first peppery/spicy aromas to the rich, velvety texture of the long finish, where opening fruit flavors loop back to add complexity and depth. — W.E. (6/1/1999)

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Robert Mondavi 1999 To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

Editors' Choice
Online Exclusive

Oaky. A bit backward, closed. Lots of primary fruit varietal character in the aroma. Coffee, smoke, ash, cedar. In the mouth, potent blackcurrants, cassis, massive middle. Wonderful tannins, rich, ripe, sweet. The finish is long and intense. 2006-2020. — S.H. (6/1/2005)

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Joseph Phelps 2001 Backus Cabernet Sauvignon (Oakville)

Cellar Selection

Price $150

Tasted alongside a bevy of Oakville Cabs, this beauty was the star of the show. It’s a huge, masculine wine, authoritative and ageable. Pours dark and drinks tannic and oaky, with a massive core of cassis, cherry and chocolate fruit encased in perfect tannins. What grace and power, what balance. Drink now through 2016, at least. — S.H. (11/1/2005)

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Staglin 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford)

Cellar Selection

Price $125

Starts with an extraordinarily complex, refined aroma, detailed and inviting in cassis, tobacco, anise, cocoa and smoky oak. In the mouth, there’s fantastic depth and complexity. The wine is rich, profound, a star even in its Rutherford stable of thoroughbreds. It has enormous power, with finely ground, sweet tannins. Absolutely gorgeous now, with the stuffing and… — S.H. (12/31/2005)

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Quilceda Creek 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon

Cellar Selection

Price $80

Amazing density; the aromas billow up from the glass and weave together sinuously, taking you on a magic carpet ride before the wine even hits your mouth. This wine has the power of a monster California Cab while retaining the subtlety of a first-growth Bordeaux. It is just a massive blast of dark fruit, incredible viscosity, silky textures and soft herbs, pepper… — P.G. (12/15/2005)

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Diamond Creek 2002 Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

Cellar Selection

Price $175

The most complete and compelling of Diamond Creek’s trio of ’02s, combining the opulent accessibility of Gravelly Meadow with the power and authority of Volcanic Hill. The aromas of cassis, red currants, cedar, tobacco and cigar box lead to massively packed Cabernet flavors wrapped in huge, dusty tannins. The wine is so balanced, so distinguished and complete… — S.H. (8/1/2006)

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Most Reviewed Wineries

Beaulieu Vineyard Beringer Chateau Ste. Michelle Concha y Toro Kendall-Jackson Kenwood Louis M. Martini Martin Ray Raymond Robert Mondavi Rodney Strong Santa Rita

2008 PerryMoore Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

This is a lush, heady wine that’s full bodied and dry, with massive…

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