“The 10 Best Tasting 2007 Cabernets for Under a Hundred Dollars”

Many people have the notion stuck in their heads that they have to pay top dollar for a great tasting wine and that is not always the case.  You can purchase many wines that taste extraordinary for under a hundred dollars.      Remember just because a large wine vintage has been making wine for decades does not always make them the best.  Many small wine vintages produce great-tasting wine.

Heavy bottles and fancy labels tend to make us think the wine is expensive, but below is a list if impressive looking bottles that carry an exquisite taste.  Below we created for you a list of the best 2007 Cabernets and their tasting characteristics:

1. 2007 Ladera (Napa Valley): This $39 offering was balanced and smooth. Its flavor profile was a mild black currant with hints of black cherry and gentle oak. It finishes dry and its moderate tannins are a bit sticky and linger nicely. 

2. 2007 “Estate Bottled” Cabernet:  This bottle usually goes for $40 dollars.  It is medium-bodied, nicely balanced, savory and fruit forward. The panel enjoyed its tasty classic black currant flavors with hints of black pepper and blackberry. The finish is dry and its moderate tannins make it food-friendly.

3. Zuccardi 2007 Cabernet “Q” (Mendoza, Argentina): This $22 bottle of wine is one of the most popular cabernets on the planet noted for its great taste and inexpensive price.

4. Freemark Abbey 2007 Cabernet “Napa Valley” (California): This $40 bottle of wine in appearance is opaque dark ruby with reddish hues. On the nose, this wine shows black currant, blackberry compote, juniper berry and dark chocolate, with cinnamon and clove. The oak is well integrated with a slight nuance of aromatic cedar. The flavor has full cherry-berry notes with cassis and a fleshy mid-palate over a bed of resolved tannins. A very inviting wine, it is full flavored from start to finish, with a very long lingering fruitfulness.

5. 2007 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon (CA): This $65 bottle of wine comes from Napa's prestigious Stags Leap District, known for producing well-integrated Cabs of intensity and opulence. Shafer's Cabernet Sauvignon embodies the Stags Leap reputation and then takes it up a notch to bring a wine with outstanding aromatic development, fresh black cherry and blackberry fruit mingled with mocha and earth. Dense, dark fruit supported by sound structure and ample tannins will take this Cab a good decade and beyond.

6. 2007 Francis Ford Coppola, Archimedes (Sonoma, CA): This $58 bottle of cabernet has a nice lavender perfume on the nose along with wild brambly notes and rich red fruits. An extraordinary wine that tastes great with anything on the barbeque.

7. Conn Creek 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): (Cost: $25) - Conn Creek was one of Napa Valley’s more promising boutique wineries when it began in 1973. In 1986, Washington State-based Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates (now Ste. Michelle Wine Estates) purchased the winery. In 2007 Conn Creek released five new Cabernet Sauvignons from the 2007 vintage, it has clearly reclaimed its relevance. The 2007 Napa Cabernet is rich, dry and full-bodied—shows a mastery of the blender’s art, with grapes for this 100% Cabernet hailing from eight subappellations, including St. Helena, Stags Leap, Mt. Veeder, Atlas Peak and Spring Mountain.

8. St. Supéry 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley):  This $30 bottle of wine is luxurious, rich and concentrated aromas of black cherry, currant and blueberry are just the start of this 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The harmonious flavors of black cherry, anise and plush cassis explode through your mouth. This classic Napa Valley Estate Cabernet is elegant and wonderful young but has everything it needs to age beautifully.

9. 2007 Geyser Peak Walking Tree Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: This $20 bottle of wine has deep dense ruby color; this sumptuous Cabernet explodes with expressive aromas of black cherry and cassis complimented by notes of black pepper, mocha, and vanilla. The palate is a mouthful of juicy ripe berries and spice, seamlessly integrated into a long finish of fine-grained tannins. The classic steakhouse wine, pair with well-marbled rib eye, a New York steak or rack of lamb.

10. 2007 Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder's Reserva: This $70 bottle of wine has an   intense, deep, ruby-red color with a bright purplish hue. The nose recalls cherries, cassis, truffles, and blueberries over a backdrop of black pepper and subtle notes of chocolate and cedar. The palate shows firm, ripe tannins that ensure excellent longevity in the bottle. This is a voluptuous wine is full of ripe fruit flavors, notes of cedar, cloves, and cinnamon, with excellent acidity that lends freshness, balance, and elegance. The long and very elegant finish shows the wine's youth today and will gain in complexity with time in the bottle.  It is composed of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Syrah that spent 20 months in new French oak.