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California Cabs for Under $10

Cabernet Sauvignon. Even the name sounds classy. In fact, I remember how pleased I was with myself, more than 30 years ago, when I ordered my first bottle in a restaurant and the waiter understood my pronunciation. (My having pointed to the wine on the list, however, may have helped just a little.) Back then, the major Napa producers were Beaulieu Vineyards, Charles Krug, Louis Martini, and The Christian Brothers. And although ordering a California Cabernet may have appeared rather avant-garde at the time, it was by no means an extravagance.

Over the years, as my tastes have changed, and I’ve gravitated more to Pinot Noirs and Zinfandels, I’ve nevertheless observed the price of Cabernet soar exponentially. Even taking inflation into account, I’m startled almost every time I go to a wine store when I see bottles with three-figure price tags displayed unceremoniously on the shelves. Although the prices for other varietals have also risen sharply, none seems to have gone as high as those for Cabernet. Indeed the winery marketing departments must be burning the midnight oil coming up with names that are in line with these incredible prices: names sometimes that have nothing at all to do with wine. Take “Magnificat” for example. Would “Magnificent” have been too mundane?

It seems the price point for most California Cabernets is somewhere between $25 to $35, with the single vineyards, special cuvees, and meritage blends ranging from $70 to $175 (at least before the Wine Spectator has deemed one worthy of 90 points or above).

Maybe it’s because these wines have become so expensive that I haven’t been tasting as many as I should. In fact, since TableWine.com started almost four years ago, I haven’t devoted a feature to the varietal. So I thought maybe it’s time. Let’s see what’s out there under $10.00.

With Cabernet being so popular, I didn’t think that finding the wines for this feature would be too difficult. However, because I was determined to review only bottles that were under $10.00 and widely distributed, it took going to four stores to find eight bottles. In fact, many of the wines that were under $10 last year are now going for $11 or $12. And in this price range, most of the stores’ offerings overlapped. After four or five hours, I returned home with my Cabernet cache, with bottles ranging from $6.99 to $9.99. I also wanted to have a standard against which to measure the quality of these wines, so I also picked up a 1996 Heitz Cellars Cabernet ($34.00 on sale).

As our tasting group convened for this feature, one member asked about alternatives to California Cabernet. Sure: there’s Merlot for those who want a softer red or Zinfandel for those who prefer heavier, spicier wines. There’s also plenty of affordable Cabernet from abroad like the Languedoc region in France or the Maipo region in Chile. Great wines at affordable prices. But there is really something unique about a good California Cabernet—especially some from Napa that have a richness of flavor and silky texture that can’t be matched. In fact, many of the major producers in Napa and Sonoma are continually re-investing profits in their facilities to maintain and improve the quality of their wines. The Mondavis and the Gallos have spared no cost to elevate their value-line wines like Woodbridge and Gallo of Sonoma to new heights and have, in my opinion, succeeded.

I think the secret to producing affordable California Cabernets has been to forego complexity for simplicity; to deliver plenty of fruit with mild tannins and just enough acidity to stand up to food; to produce clean and attractive wines through filtering without losing body; to use blending and other wine-making techniques to ensure consistency in style and quality across vintages; and to make wines that are ready to drink upon release.

For me, the best food match for most California Cabernet is beef; a thick steak or a standing rib roast. In fact, some thirty years ago when I ordered my first bottle with all the sophistication I could muster, I was in a steak house.

Editorial note: Because I reviewed all of the affordable Mondavi and Gallo Cabernets only a few months ago, I did not include any of them in this tasting. (You can read my reviews of them in the archived feature, “The Waltz of the Titans.”)

For this feature, we first tasted each of the wines individually and then revisited them with our meal, which consisted of a grilled steak marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. We also sampled the wines with cheese. As a benchmark for the Cabernets, we used the 1996 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon.

1997 Glen Ellen, Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve, California ($6.99)

Ruby in color with good legs, this wine has a nice nose of currants and caramel with some vegetal (green-bean) notes. On the palate, it delivers burnt sugar flavors followed by plums. It’s a little short on the finish. This is a simple, straightforward, easy-drinking wine. It was like a condiment to the steak, but I think it would stand up better to a grilled pork loin.

1998 Canyon Road, Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($7.99)

This wine has a deep ruby color and good legs. Its tar and cigar-box nose is rather hot with alcohol. There are some hints of red berries on the nose as well. On the palate, it’s dry and shows good structure with just the right balance of fruit and supple tannins. Its flavors are reminiscent of blue plums with some chalk notes. It has a good mid-palate and a nice finish. This wine was wonderful with the steak, cutting through the fat and almost seasoning the beef.

1997 Turning Leaf, Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($7.99)

Light red in color with good legs, this wine has a nose of cardboard and black pepper. It’s rather dry at first and then delivers some black-currant flavors that vanish all too quickly. It’s short on the finish with some spice notes. This wine was a disappointment.

1998 Talus, Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($7.99)

This wine has a beautiful ruby color with some rust on the edges and good legs. The nose is enticing with burnt sugar, toast, and sweet cherries. On the palate, it’s dry and packed with black cherry flavors supported by soft tannins that make a striking contrast to the sweet nose. It has a good mouth feel as well an adequate finish. This is a very tasty wine that was outstanding with the steak. It seemed to cleanse the palate and bring out the flavors of the beef. Definitely one of the stars of this tasting.

1997 R.H. Phillips, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barrel Cuvée ($8.99)

This wine has good legs and a pretty deep ruby color. The nose is somewhat hot (alcoholic) with strawberry, currant, and savory notes. On the palate, it has good body and is full of plum and currant flavors. It also has good structure--mild tannins support the fruit along with good acidity. It has a long finish with lingering plum flavors. It was great with the meal, where it served like a steak sauce for the beef. Another star of this tasting.

1998 Cartlidge & Browne, Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($9.99)

Cherry red in color with good legs, the wine shows chalk and black currants on the nose. It’s well structured with black currant flavors surrounded by soft tannins. This is a simple straightforward wine with good acidity and a good finish. One taster labeled it “monochromatic” with black currants, characterizing the nose as well as the flavor. I thought this wine was a little too pretty for the steak, but it was outstanding with the cheeses. Definitely worth a try.

1997 Rabbit Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barrel Cuvée ($7.99)

Opaque and deep ruby in color, this wine has great legs. It has a smoky nose with tar and cedar notes. (Some tasters detected some vegetal aromas as well.) On the palate, it’s dry, tannic, and soft bodied. Its berry flavors were thin and diluted. It has a short, bitter almond finish. This wine improved with the steak, which seemed to soften it.

1997 Beaulieu Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coastal, California ($9.99)

Russet heading toward ruby in color, this wine has a sweet nose with some hints of vinyl. Its flavor at first is similar to bakers chocolate and later develops some cherry notes, but overall is thin, diluted, and almost tannin free. There’s some spice on the finish. This wine was rather harsh with the steak.

Here are the notes for our benchmark wine:

1996 Heitz Cellar, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($34.99)

Deep ruby in color with gorgeous legs and a subtle nose of caramel and cocoa. On entry, it’s silky smooth with lilting black currant and mint flavors. It’s full bodied and dry with good structure that keeps the flavors going. There are some cedar nuances as well. It has a long finish with some cocoa flavors. A classic Napa Valley Cabernet—but at a price.

Overall, we were quite pleased with this tasting and think that some good values are still out there. If you’re expecting complexity in this price range , forget it. But if you want good tasting, easy-drinking, quaffable wines, you won’t be disappointed.

TableWine is a personal website and does not sell any wine. However, many of the wines we review are purchased from our local wine merchant, Wine & Spirit World. Their web site may help you locate a good number of our selections.

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