At the completion of our Cabernet Shootout finals, we found many spectacular Cabernet Sauvignons, Cabernet Francs, and Cabernet Blends. The comments and scores by our judging panel have been posted at Affairs of the Vine and can be reviewed by gender. Men here and Women here.
I believe we have one of the best judging panels anywhere. Anyone can say that. We put our panel to the test.
There has been much discussion about the validity of professional wine judging panels. We select a diverse panel of judges and utilize a complex process to get the best possible results. As the final part of the formula, we took 34 of the top rated wines to Chicago to challenge the palates of our panel of judges.
The Chicago Wine Club invited Cabernet Lovers to taste the wines blind and test the findings of the panel. A daunting task. But members of the Chicago Wine Club were up to the task.
On September 29th, 130 lucky Cabernet Lovers gathered at the Blue Star Wine Bar to participate in a blind tasting of the award winning wines.
A great time was had by all. They indulged their passion for great Cabernets and fabulous food. They pitted their palates against the expert panel’s findings as they tasted through the 34 wines.
Votes were cast by placing stones in a box in front of each wine. The men and women had different colored stones. Each of the wines received some votes from members of the group. All of the wines were enjoyed. The only complaint we heard was that there wasn’t enough time to enjoy and evaluate the wines.
Please note that all of these wines are winners. All received 
(4 hearts) and scores of 90 or above by our Expert Panel.
Listed below are 34 of the top wines as tasted and ranked by the Expert Panel on August 14, 2010 .
The Wine Lovers in Chicago voted for their top 3 wines in order of preference after tasting them blind. As in the case of the judging panel, the men and women votes were tallied separately. The Female Cabernet Lovers top choice was the McGrail Vineyards 2007 Reserve McGrail Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Livermore Valley while the Men’s favorite was Martin Ray Winery 2007 Reserve Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley.
Check the table below for a view of the wine tasted and how the male and female judges scored the wines and which were the favs of the Chicago Wine Club wine lovers.
| Wine | Color – The identifiers in the blind tasting | Female Judges: Score | CWC Female Wine Lovers: Ranking | Male Judges: Score | CWC Male Wine Lovers: Ranking |
| Anglim 2006 Starr Ranch Cab Sauv, Paso Robles |
Light Yellow | 93 | 91 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
|
| Bogle ’06 Reserve Old River Vyd Cab Sauv, Clarksburg | Pumpkin | 91 | #2 – 2nd Place | 91 | |
| Buttonwood 2007 Estate Cab Franc, Santa Ynez Vly | Dusty Rose | 92 | 90 | #2 – Tied for 2nd |
|
| Cana’s Feast Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley | Periwinkle | 90 | 90 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
|
| Cass Winery 2007 Estate Cab Sauv, Paso Robles |
Pink | 91 | 89 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
|
| Cass Winery 2007 Reserve Cabernet Blend, Paso Robles | Bronze | 91 | 91 | ||
| Eberle 2007 Vineyard Selection Cab Sauv, Paso Robles |
Khaki | 90 | 92 | ||
| Ecluse 2007 Ensemble Bordeaux Blend, Paso Robles | Light Blue | 91 | 90 | ||
| Faust 2007 Cab Sauv, Napa Valley |
Yellow | 91 | 93 | ||
| Fernwood Cellars 2007 Estate Cab Sauv, Santa Cruz Mtns |
Orange | 92 | 91 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
|
| Hagafen Cellars 2006 Cab Sauv, Napa Valley | Deep Purple | 89 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
90 | |
| Hahn Estates ’06 Cabernet Franc, Central Coast |
Turquoise | 91 | 93 | ||
| Hahn Winery ’08 Meritage, Central Coast |
Light Green | 92 | 90 | #2 – Tied for 2nd
|
|
| J. Davies 2007 Cab Sauv, Diamond Mtn District | Black | 92 | #3 – Tied for 3rd
|
94 | #3 – Tied for 3rd
|
| La Storia 2006 Estate Reserve Geyserville Ranch Cab Sauv, Alexander Vly | Green | 91 | 92 | ||
| Louis M. Martini 2006 Cab Sauv, Napa Valley | Purple | 91 | 90 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
|
| Lucas & Lewellen 2006 Clone 6 Cab Sauv, Santa Barbara County |
Dark Red | 91 | 91 | #3 – Tied for 3rd
|
|
| Martin Ray Winery 2007 Reserve Stags Leap District Cab Sauv, Napa Vly |
Forest Green | 90 | 90 | #1 – 1st Place | |
| McGrail 2007 Reserve McGrail Vyds Cab Sauv, Livermore Vly |
Red | 92 | #1 – 1st Place | 92 | |
| McWilliams Hanwood Estate 2008 Cab Sauv, Southeastern AU | White | 90 | 91 | #2 – Tied for 2nd |
|
| Murphy-Goode 2007 Cab Sauv, California | Dark Blue | 90 | 90 | ||
| Pend d’Oreille 2007 Meyer Reserve Lawrence Vyd Cab Sauv, Columbia Valley |
Tan | 90 | 92 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
|
| Pollak Vyds 2008 Estate Cabernet Franc, Monticello |
Gray | 90 | 89 | ||
| Pollak Vyds 2007 Estate Bordeaux Blend, Monticello |
Orchid | 90 | 90 | ||
| Rodney Strong 2007 Estate Cab Sauv, Alexander Vly |
Wedgewood | 91 | 90 | ||
| Rodrigue Molyneaux 2006 Reserve, Cab Sauv, Livermore Vly |
Gunmetal | 92 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
88 | #3 – Tied for 3rd
|
| Skylite Cellars 2007 Reserve Bordeaux Blend, Columbia Valley | Coral | 91 | 89 | ||
| Spangler Vyds 2008 Cab Franc, So. Oregon | Gold | 91 | 90 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
|
| THE GRADE 2007 Estate Winfield Vyd Cab Sauv, Napa Valley, Calistoga |
Hot Pink | 92 | 91 | #2 – Tied for 2nd
|
|
| Tulocay 2006 Rancho Sarco Vyd Cab Sauv, Napa Valley |
Dark Gray | 89 | 91 | ||
| Ty Caton Vyds 2008 Estate, Caton Vineyard Cab Sauv, Sonoma Valley | Burgundy | 90 | 88 | ||
| Ty Caton Vyds 2008 Estate, Caton Vyd Barracks Cab Sauv, Sonoma Valley |
Aqua Marine | 90 | 93 | ||
| VJB 2007 Dante Cab Sauv, Sonoma Valley | Blue | 90 | 90 | #3 – Tied for 3rd |
|
| Yalumba 2006 Menzies the Cigar The Menzies Vyd Cab Sauv, Coonawarra, AU |
Brown | 90 |
