Name some good Cabs, please

[stevebody]

GP,

In your search, don't forget to look outside the US. We make so much and such great Cab here that we can frequently get a little gencentric about it. The very best sub-$30 Cab I've had for the past four vintages was the Peter Lehmann Barossa from Auatralia. Absolutely lush, hedonistic, yet refined stuff that would EASILY fetch $80 a bottle if it said Napa Valley on the label. The Italian Gravello by Librandi at about $25 is a big, chewy, wonderfully-made Cab that I tasted with a bottle of Beringer Private Reserve '88 and it held its own beautifully. For a cheap, vastly-overlooked one, try the Rene Barbier (yep, the cheapo guy) Special Seleccion Long Maceration '96 that can be had for as little as $8 a bottle. GREAT bargain Cab.

There are others, like the Antinori Le Grifi and the Machiavelli or the Scarpantoni (Aussie) or the Marques Casa Concha from Chile that just made the Spectator's Top 100. Cab is one of those wines, like Bordeaux, that will get you sneered at by people who genuflect to the Stag's Leapses and the Shaffers and the Mondavi Reserves of the world. I mentioned my favorite little bargain Cab, the McMannis, on this site and got such loud hoots that they were almost audible. Suits me. More McMannis for me. BOLO for wine shop tastings and wine groups in your area that are looking for new members and just try a bunch. There are more good Cabs out there than at any time in memory. You'll find a ton of 'em and even a lot of reasonable ones.