Stone Barn Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, California (£7.99 Bibendum, House of Fraser)
A manufactured feel about this jammy black fruit, complete with pips, and a ripe but rather forced/baked finish. C-

Delicato First Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley, California (£17 Bibendum, Whole Foods)
Oddly disjointed, with one side that shows appealing plummy blackcurrant fruit, and another that has rather clunky oak, harsh tannins and a touch of volatility. Hmm… C+

(neither of these two seems to be on the Bibendum web site, and the stuff on the Delicato site isn’t much either…)

Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley, California (£15.99 Wine Rack)
Lighter, gentler style, also feels quite mature, with dusty plum and leather notes, and touches of liquorice and vanilla. Let down by a touch of dead fruit (think baked berries) and that slightly crude vanilla edge – American oak? But overall, good. B(+)

Frog’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley, California (£33 Richard Granger, Slurp, HarperWells)
This is more like it – a warm Mediterranean herby fragrance and note of tobacco alongside the dusty plum, berry and cassis flavours, and that slightly leafy note that too many in California still see as a negative. Young and tight at the moment, but you can already enjoy the vibrant juicy flavours. S+

Cafaro Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Napa Valley, California (£34.99 Liberty Wines)
Richer than the Frog’s Leap, with a slightly roasted edge to the ripe chewy damson skin, blackcurrant and blackberry flavours. Not hugely subtle nor refined but scores for its honest richness. S(-)

(all these prices date from before the Jan 2011 increase in VAT)