Which Under-$20 Cab Is Worth Drinking?
An $11.99 "Best Buy" bottle nearly runs away with it.
How good can under-$20 Cabernet Sauvignon be?
The grape that commands four-figure price tags and Napa cult fandom, that gives Left Bank First Growths like Latour and Lafite Rothschild their sleek splendor and cathedral-like complexity—can it really be enjoyed for less than the cost of a pizza pie?
To find out, I shamelessly lassoed my visiting in-laws into participating in a blind seven-glass line-up of under-$20 state store Cabernet Sauvignons. They’ve visited Napa, and my father-in-law Jim is a regular Cab buyer, so with those satisfactory qualifications in place, we dug in with the help of a Coravin and Magna-Tiles to distract the children.
We tasted Cabernets from California, Australia, and Argentina (at this price range, we’re not exactly in Napa territory), all around the 90-point score range. We tasted right after opening for an early assessment, then revisited the wines an hour later once they’d had a chance to breathe.
The results were fairly unanimous: the group consensus favorites were the 2019 Freelander District One Cabernet (Chairman’s Select, $11.99) and the 2019 Saviah Cellars The Jack Cabernet from Washington’s Columbia Valley ($17.99). My wife, who favors earthier, more herbal wines, had a different #1 favorite in the 2018 First Drop Wines Mother’s Ruin Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale.
These are well-made bottles for the price in the category. But mainly what the tasting provided was a window into the temperamental, bullish nature of young Cabernet Sauvignon.
Well-aged high-quality Cabs possess the cohesiveness and visceral power of an Olympic rowing team gliding down a river. These wines, mostly drawn from 2019 to 2021, come bristling out of the glass like a tight end off the line of scrimmage, lean and a little raw.
You get a good sense of why this is a grape that ages so well—it has life and energy to burn from the jump, and you can clearly anticipate how notes that might seem a little clunky at present could resolve into something more subdued and beautiful with time.
Bottom line: I would be happy to drink many of them, but after this tasting, I’d be more inclined to experiment with cellaring Cabernets like these for a few years, and reach for a Merlot-based blend when drinking younger vintages.
The Wines (listed in order of tasting)
2021 Clay Shannon The Barkley Cabernet Sauvignon Lake County ($13.99)
This is well-worth seeking out—Clay Shannon is a well-respected winemaker and one of the pioneers of Lake County, where prescient wine biz operators like Andy Beckstoffer have made considerable investments, with some calling it the next Napa. Elegant, smooth, and medium-bodied with soft, leathery tannins and notes of licorice, blue fruit, and raspberry. I continued to like this wine more and more after opening—it was probably my second or third favorite of the mix, and was in the running for my mother-in-law’s overall favorite. Great value.
2019 Wakefield Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley Estate ($15.99)
91 points—Wine Enthusiast
Immediate note of green bell pepper on the nose. With time, this came to resemble a blackberry bramble cocktail with muddled mint. Loads of very ripe berry fruit, heavy in texture but still quite acidic. More of porch-pounder than something I’d want to drink with food.
2019 Saviah Cellars The Jack Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley ($17.99)
This is known as one of the better Cabernet values from Washington, thanks to Saviah’s use of fruit from its esteemed Walla Walla vineyards. Espresso, vanilla, and hints of caramel on the nose, leading to long, smooth, slightly chalky tannins and a rounded mouthfeel. Seductive. “I like this. By far the best.”—my father-in-law.
2018 First Drop Wines Mother's Ruin Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale ($19.99)
92 points—Wine Spectator
92 points—James Suckling
From a great Aussie producer, this wine is primarily culled from a pedigreed vineyard in the Willunga foothills. Lithe and energetic, with deep, dark aromatics of black cherry. I got a distinct Jolly Rancher candy note on the palate.
2020 Alta Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza Estate ($17.99)
90 points—Wine Enthusiast
This really made almost no impression on any of us, and had we gone to the trouble of ranking, might have fallen to last place. Tart, not terribly complex, underripe strawberry on the nose. “Pedestrian”—my wife (suddenly a wine critic).
2019 Areyna Cabernet Sauvignon Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza Estate ($14.99)
90 points—James Suckling
Crafted from 50-year-old vines on estate vineyards at 3,000 feet in elevation. Soft and sumptuous but falls a little flat. Mild in flavor with some notes of raspberry tea. Opens nicely with time, but still pretty tight knit.
2021 Freelander District One Cabernet Sauvignon ($11.99)
92 points “Best Buy”—Wine Enthusiast
Tied with the Saviah wine for the group favorite—which is pretty remarkable given the $12 price. Lots of fruit aromatically as well as a burnt sugar, crème brulée note. Pillowy texturally—a full, rich sip, suggesting sugar-coated strawberries held in check by cherry-inflected acidity. Definitely one to pick up if you see it.
There’s real pedigree behind the “best buy” status here—the winemaker is Napa veteran Larry Levin, who’s worked with big-name California wineries like Quintessa. Here’s the Wine Enthusiast review in full, as it’s pretty full-throated in praise:
“A fun, friendly expression of Cabernet Sauvignon that still provides the depth and complexity that has become expected from the variety. Enjoy notes of red and black cherry, blackberry, crushed red roses and violets, freshly turned earth, black pepper, toasted wood, nutmeg, cardamom and star anise. Fine-grained tannins add a smooth, silky texture; elevated acidity provides a freshness that rides right down the center of the palate, pointing toward the long, lingering finish.”
That’s it for today—look out next week for a guide to the best state store wines to stock up on for Thanksgiving!