The Bethany Cabernet Merlot from the Schrapel family's Bethany winery exhibits herbal blackberry and cherry flavours with subtle oak in the background. Drinking well now, but also can handle a little bit of medium term cellaring to really coax those soft, ripe tannins to infuse beautifully with its primary fruit.

One of the established names of Coonawarra, Redman Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from hand pruned low yielding mature vines. Ripe blackcurrant fruit and vanillin oak make this fine drinking now.

A lovely example of Margaret River Cabernet Merlot, Flametree Cabernet Merlot is showing big dense fruit characters of blackcurrant and stewed plums. A silky seamless palate with rich fruit concentration and chocolaty complexity. Matured in French oak barrels has softened and rounded this wine.

From the highly regarded wine making team at Pierro comes this more than worthy second label. Expressive red berry characters on the nose are intermingled with nuances of blood plum, and on the palate these flavours are underpinned by subtle oak.

The Regional Series from Capel Vale showcase grape varieties and their most suited regions. This example of Margaret River Cabernet has all the traditional flavours of blackcurrent, bay leaf and a hint of cigar box.

Xanadu Fusion Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits vibrant, characteristic aromas of ripe blackcurrants, dark berry fruits, and black plums entwined with savoury hints of bay leaf and spicy, toasty oak. The full-bodied palate is packed full of juicy fruits of the forest, cassis and mocha flavours. A generous wine, with a solid tannin structure and fleshy fruit characters which persist through to a warm, lingering finish.

Chapel Hill's Cabernet Sauvignon is a superb McLaren Vale wine which rivals others well beyond its price range. Generous blackcurrant, dark cherries, cedar and spice mixed in with fine, firm tannins. This wine can be enjoyed now but will continue to improve with a few years in the cellar.

Bernoota was the original name of the Lake Breeze homestead and now the Bernoota Shiraz Cabernet is rightfully considered to be one of Australia's favourite Shiraz Cabernet blends. And they don't come much better than Bernoota for the price! Not only is it rich and luscious, filled with blackcurrant, spice and pepper, it has a touch of dark chocolate on the finish. The 2009 is a 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet blend and spends 20 months in a mixture of French and American Oak that will see the wine not only be enjoyable now, but develop beautifully in the bottle for a further 8 to 10 years.

The Eden Valley altitudes were always going to be the source for Kym Teusner's grand Cabernet statement. The fruit is awesome beyond belief, and it shows in this ridiculously underpriced masterstroke. An entitled mouthful of dark currants and blue fruits have a lasting depth all their own, wrapped in a precision poised tannin structure with grip and presence, yet silky throughout. Could be rookie of the year!

With a rich and storied history in the South Australian winemaking scene, Kate Goodman continues to produce intense and flavoursome wines at great prices. The Phoenix from the Penley Estate is a favourite among Coonawarra Cabernet lovers for its great blackcurrant concentration and ripe tannin structure.