Wakefield Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Clare Valley, Australia (£10-11 Majestic Wine Warehouse, Alexander Hadleigh, Cheers Wine Merchant, Raeburn Fine Wines, Sandhams Wine Merchant, www.slurp.co.uk)
Maybe not the most complex wine, but scores for its honest juicy richness, with ripe berry and blackcurrant fruit pepped up with notes of mint, mocha and toasty oak. S-
De Grendel Rubaiyat 2007, Coastal Origin, South Africa (RRP £29.99)
Shows some of the slightly smoky Cape bake, but there’s also a wealth of cassis and blackberry flesh, a subtle leafy fragrance, and a polished, quite elegant finish. Built to last too. S
The High Road Reserve 2006, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£23.95 Corks Out)
Smells decent, with confident plummy dark fruit aromas, but there’s a touch too much volatility, and a slightly angular finish. B+
Miguel Torres Manso de Velasco Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines 2005, Curicó, Chile (~£25 D Byrne & Co, Hailsham Cellars, Soho Wine Supply, Zelas Wine, vintagemarque.com, everywine.co.uk)
Typical Chile, with intense plummy blackcurrant pastille flavour, notes of green olives and chocolate, and a slightly earthy finish. OK, but slightly stewed, and a touch hard on the finish. B(+)
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Margaret River, Australia (£25-£30 Domaine Direct, Beaconsfield Wine Cellars, Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols, Luvians, Selfridges, www.slurp.co.uk, The House of Menzies, Uncorked, Winedirect)
Relaxed, poised and elegant wine, a wonderful mix of dark fruit, finely balanced oak and notes of herbs, mint and minerals, almost Burgundian in the way it unwinds in the glass to reveal ever more layers, while remaining fresh and vibrant. G-
Wakefield St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Clare Valley, Australia (£29.00 Cheers Wine Merchant, Fareham Wine Cellar, Nidderdale Fine Wines, Planet of the Grapes, Raeburn Fine Wines, Sipp, Sommelier Wine Company, Victor Hugo Wines)
Only a year older than the Leeuwin, but much more mature, with a developed, leathery feel to the plummy berry flavours, and a warm welcoming with typical Clare earthiness finish. S(+)