With a legacy as rich as the soil that nurtures its vines, Cabernet Sauvignon stands an international aristocrat amongst grape varieties, gaining the utmost respect from connoisseurs and wine lovers alike.
The grape variety thrives in a multitude of climates and regions, making it a global ambassador of fine red wines which intertwine history, terroir, and craftsmanship.
From famed Bordeaux to the sun-kissed Napa Valley, its signature notes of blackcurrant, plum, and hints of herbaceousness carry a sense of place with each sip.
Scroll down to see 15 top-scoring Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wines from DWWA 2025
In this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), the variety proved its versatility and adaptability with stellar examples from around the world.
China claimed one of the 50 Best in Show medals, with a Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Ningxia. The list also joined wines from California in the US, Stellenbosch in South Africa and Margaret River in Western Australia.
New World Cabernet Sauvignon wines impressed at DWWA 2025 with Australia, Chile and China receiving Platinum medals. Gold medal were also awarded to Italy, Romania and Serbia.
To celebrate International Cabernet Sauvignon Day, we highlight 15 top-scoring Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wines from DWWA which are well worth looking for. Discover more award-winning wines at awards.decanter.com →
Celebrating International Cabernet Sauvignon Day: 15 to try
Argentina
Etchart, Estate, Cafayate, Salta 2024
Gold, 96 points
Understated and classy with blackcurrant and cherry fruit supported by a gravelly mineral character. One to watch with its youthful acidity and deeply intense structure and tannins. Alcohol 14%
Australia
Xanadu, Reserve, Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia 2022
Best in Show, 97 points
We’ve known it since the beginning, back in the 1960s; that was the moment when John Gladstones first suggested that Cabernet Sauvignon and Margaret River might make a fruitful partnership, and when his recommendations were taken up by the region’s pioneering amateurs. This, the fifth appearance for Margaret River Cabernet in our Best in Show selection, confirms it yet again: Cabernet feels very much at home in these rangy, coastal vineyards with their sustaining maritime warmth. Dark opaque black-red, with aromas in which fruits are rendered savoury by notes of pepper, spice, earth, dry leaves and autumn’s plenty, this wine compels from the first approach to the glass. The palate is deep, textured and pure, as the fruit steals out from beneath the camouflage of those other allusions to command the palate. The acidity is relatively soft; it’s the inner freshness of the fruit itself that brings the wine its lift and life. It’s so approachable you might almost underestimate its qualities; the longer you spend with the wine, the more they’ll tell. Alc 14%
Fermoy, Wilyabrup Reserve, Margaret River, Western Australia 2022
Platinum, 97 points
Quintessential and stylish, exuding pure cassis, blackberry and briary fruit which garnishes the elegant framework of structure and tannin and seeps into the mouth-wateringly juicy acidity. A fine mineral undertone ordains the long, visionary finish. Alc 14%
Chile
Miguel Torres, Los Inquietos 02, Maule 2022
Platinum, 97 points
Capacious cherries, plums, blackberries and eucalyptus unlock the potential of this effortlessly stylish Cabernet Sauvignon: The polished elegant structure, silky smooth tannins and pervading acidity emphasize and celebrate the potential of the region in equal measure. Alc 14.5%
China
Dongfang Yuxing Winery, Geruihong Yeguangbei, Helan Mountain East, Ningxia, China (Mainland) 2022
Best in Show, 97 points
China is a relative newcomer to the world of wine, though in other respects its civilisation pre-dates that of Mediterranean Europe (and the Chinese made mixed alcoholic beverages even earlier than the Georgians wines). Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, then, both at the speed at which its wine creators are learning, and the level of their accomplishments. Both were on show this year with not one but two Best in Show wines. This wine from Helan Mountain in Ningxia is a cunning blend which few in Europe would have thought of: Cabernet Sauvignon with 9% of freshening Dornfelder and 6% of Cabernet Gernischt (Carmenère). It works well. The wine is a dark, opaque black-purple with fresh and alluring scents of blackcurrant and wild plum. The palate offers a seductive plunge of fruit and spice, settling on something more akin to dark chocolate but – and this is key – with the authority and detaining discipline only carefully extracted tannins can bring. It’s a revelation. Alc 15.6%
Li’s Estate, Family Reserve, Helan Mountain East, Ningxia, China (Mainland) 2022
Platinum, 97 points
A tantalising complexity of blackberry fruit compote and succulent prunes garnished with cedar and black pepper spice and hints of green herbs. Rousing and rich with immersive tannins and a lick of warming tar on the finish. Alc 15.5%
France
Château Haut Breton Larigaudière, Le Créateur, Margaux, Bordeaux 2022
Gold, 95 points
Lavish oak overlays a smouldering cassis fruit and graphite intensity with impeccably fine-tuned tannins and vivacious acidity. One for the long haul but delicious now. Alc 13.8%
Israel
Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Golan Heights, Galilee 2021
Platinum, 97 points
Stand-out luscious black fruit aromas with a charming underpinning of floral scent. Flourishing with plush oak modernity and sleek satin tannins, the striking flow of flavour proceeds diligently to the finish line. Plenty of ageing potential. Alc 14.5%
Italy
Mazzei, Tenuta Belguardo Riserva, Maremma Toscana, Tuscany 2021
Gold, 95 points
Ample cassis, black plum compote, brushwood and mint aromas permeate the fine structure and smoky tannins buoyed along by an enticing acidity. A joy to drink. Alc 14%
Romania
Crama Ceptura, Magnus Monte, Dealu Mare, Muntenia & Oltenia 2023
Gold, 95 points
A highly accomplished, classic Cabernet Sauvignon, rippling with ripe blackcurrant, graphite, tar and bell pepper characters. Bold and full with vigorous tannins and a bristling acidity. Alc 14%
Serbia
Despotika, Krunski Dokaz, Oplenac, Šumadija-Great Morava 2017
Gold, 95 points
Tobacco and cigar box oak overlays a lattice of cassis and bramble fruit with an absorbing structure, finely meshed tannins and attractive acid backbone to sustain. Alc 15%
South Africa
Knorhoek, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2021
Best in Show, 97 points
Three of South Africa’s three previous appearances in our Best in Show selection have involved Stellenbosch and a member of the Cabernet family … so no one will be surprised to see that this year’s laureate is, once again, a Stellenbosch Cabernet. Why is the combination so successful? There isn’t the space here to delve into the intricacies of terroir (and in any case we should remember that this 17,500-ha zone constitutes around 18% of South Africa’s planted vineyard total on its own), but in sensual terms the answer seems clear — and this wine exemplifies the appeal perfectly. It’s an opaque dark black-red, with perfectly calibrated oak-aged fruit that conveys an urbane and well-mannered refinement typical of Bordeaux back in France but rare outside it. The fruit qualities are ripe but not overly so, with ample inner freshness; it’s a balanced, digestible wine which cries out for fine cooking and polished glasswear. Technically speaking, there’s enough ripe acidity and deft tannin to carry the fruit with poise and ease yet save it from simplicity, and credit to its creators for getting the wine to this state of approachable maturity in just four short years. Alc 14%
Nederburg, Private Bin Two Centuries, Coastal Region 2021
Gold, 96 points
Beaming with violet, cassis and blueberry power supported by sleek, form-giving tannins with a splash of racy acidity providing energy and lift. Astoundingly long and generous. Alc 14.2%
United States
Kenwood Vineyards, Six Ridges, Alexander Valley, California, United States 2021
Best in Show, 97 points
We’re thrilled to see a wine from Alexander Valley join the nine California red-wine peers that have already featured in our Best in Show selection. This distinctive zone clearly offers Cabernet of significantly different style to Napa: amply fleshed, yes, but with a savoury, mountain wildness to that flesh, and with a different acid emphasis. The blend here, with its seasoning of Petite Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, surely also plays a role in lending this wine its intriguing complexities. It’s black-red in colour, with open, affably fruity aromas lent depth by a dry-forest warmth; on the palate the wine has both breadth and depth as well as a compelling inner sweetness. The acidity is low but soft, while plump tannins with that distinctive savoury nuance bring the wine resolution and balance. Alc 14.5%
L’Ecole Nº 41, Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, Washington State 2022
Gold, 95 points
A sophisticated display of blackcurrant, cedar and graphite fragrance, with an array of sleek tannins, a silky texture and delectable spicy lift on the finish. Alc 14.5%
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