15 Best Cabernet Sauvignons Under $50 [Cellar Worthy Wine]
Stretching to $50 for a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon rewards you with handmade, cellar-worthy wines from top wine regions and wineries.
Whether you prefer straight up Cab or Bordeaux-style blends, $50 gets you access to wines from boutique wineries, high quality vineyards, and with extended oak aging.
In this guide discover the 15 very best Cabernet Sauvignons under $50 spanning the Napa Valley in California to the Colchagua Valley in Chile.
15. Quilt Cabernet Sauvignon
Let's start this guide to sublime Cab under $50 with an absolute banger!
Produced with grapes from prime Napa Valley vineyards, Quilt Cabernet Sauvignon is a crowd-pleasing, fruit-forward varietal. The grapes enjoyed an unseasonably warm growing season, ripening early with brilliant acidity.
Expect robust forest floor and black fruit notes with vanilla, oak, and dried apricot on the palate. It pours deep garnet with a nose of forest floor, dark cherry, and cocoa nibs. Vanilla, oak, and crushed violet add interest to the mid-palate.
The finish is long and dry with velvety tannins thanks to 20 months in oak. Pair this cab with pork schnitzel, braised short ribs, ribeye, stuffed mushrooms, and hearty pasta.
14. 2019 Austin Hope Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2019 Austin Hope Paso Robles is an oak-aged masterpiece, aging select vineyard lots in stainless steel and oak for at least 14 months. It's only racked twice in the cellar, delivering stunning color, depth, and tannins.
Tobacco, dark chocolate, fresh blackcurrant, and sage notes flourish on the nose. The palate introduces ripe cherry, vanilla, cocoa powder, baking spices, and tobacco, with robust tannins and a chewy, dense mouthfeel.
Delightfully full-bodied with intense black fruit and tobacco notes, this wine goes beautifully with aged cheeses, cured meats, spaghetti, and meatballs.
The 2019 vintage is actually becoming pretty rare and you might need to make do with another year. They're all excellent though!
If you can find this cab at a Costco near you, you'll save a few bucks on the regular retail price.
13. 2018 Sling & Spear Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2018 Sling & Spear Cabernet Sauvignon has a secret – it is produced from the most highly regarded and famous vineyards in the Oakville region but can't say so because naming rights require a minimum $125 price tag.
Luxuriously rich and succulent, this is a dark fruit and cocoa delight, packed with savory fruit, oak, and mocha on the nose. Mulberries, sage, blackberry compote, and a twinge of vanilla and spice give it excellent palette complexity.
This wine is densely delicious with chewy tannins and a long, decadent finish. It goes a treat with prime rib, lamb cutlets, and roast pork.
12. 2019 Dolum Estates Cask 28 Cabernet Sauvignon
Fruit from the dry Vaca Mountains on the east side of Napa Valley produces this smooth, bold Cabernet Sauvignon, which over-delivers for the price, with intense blackberry, cherry, and cedar notes wrapped up in dark chocolate.
This is one of the more balanced Cabernets, with blackberry compote and espresso on the nose and forest floor and chocolate on the palate. Crushed violet and a hint of raspberry on the mid-palate lead to a long, bitter finish.
Vibrant tannins and a smooth mouthfeel make this wine perfect for the dinner table. Pair it with burgers, portobello mushrooms, and pasta.
11. 2019 Erikson & Caradin Ivy & Thistle Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2019 Erikson & Caradin Ivy & Thistle is intensely dark and chewy, with dominant stewed plum and dark chocolate notes. It's produced with fruit from Atlas Peak and Oakville, aged in 60% New French Oak and 40% 2nd use barrels.
This wine usually retails for over $100 but can be found for a snip under $50, making it one of the best-value Cabernets on our list. It has big, velvety tannins with notes of plum, cherry, cassis, chocolate, and oak on the nose and palate.
Complex dark fruit layers and swathes of cocoa make this an exceptional sipping wine. Enjoy it with aged cheeses, cured meats, and savory snacks.
10. Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
With a classic Bordeaux touch of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, this Cabernet Sauvignon offers bold tannins and lots of structure. It uses fruit from Knights Valley, which has the warmest climate in Sonoma.
We adore the black fruit and vanilla bouquet. The palate is well structured, with cassis, plum, dark cherry, and leather notes, with a hint of mocha and red cherry on the finish providing a perfect backdrop for velvety tannins.
This wine is aged in French oak barrels for 16 months, bringing out mild savory and spice notes. It's relatively light, making it perfect with pork and lamb.
9. 2019 Buena Vista Chateau Buena Vista Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
If you enjoy jammy, fruity Cabernet, look no further. This almost-sweet blend delivers cherry syrup, maple, and blackcurrant jam notes, aged for 10 months in French oak before being bottled unfiltered to create a refreshing, lighter Cab.
A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, and 1% Mission fruit has made an opulent wine with chewy fruit and baking spice notes. Oak, vanilla, cocoa, allspice, and blackberry dominate the nose and palate.
Dusty tannins carry hints of cherry, cranberry, and crushed violets on the finish. Enjoy it with steak and lamb, burgers, and aged cheeses.
8. 2019 Justin Wine Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
Cinnamon, oak, and savory tobacco notes give this dark and chewy Cabernet extraordinary depth. It's produced with hand-picked and sorted grapes from premium Paso Robles vineyards, barrel aged for 14 months in 25% new American oak.
Pour a glass, and you're greeted with a cassis, cinnamon, cocoa, and mixed berries on the nose. Taking a sip reveals complex oak, dark chocolate, autumn leaf, and black licorice flavors with smooth tannins and a clean finish.
The 2019 Justin Wine Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon goes beautifully with pasta Bolognese, homemade pizzas, and pesto.
The best price I've seen this for has been at Safeway. Although, I've seen other vintages for cheaper at Costco.
7. 2019 Marietta Cellars Arme Cabernet Sauvignon
At a snip under $30, this could easily have made it's way onto our guide to great Cab for less than $30 (or did it?).
Intensely fruity with chewy tannins, the 2019 Marietta Cellars Arme blends 82% Cabernet Sauvignon with 12% Merlot, 3% Malbec, and 3% Petit Verdot. It is distinctly smoky, with leather, cedar, and allspice notes.
Pouring deep garnet with a twinge of pink, this Cabernet has a fruity bouquet of cassis, plum, and raspberry, with an oaky undertone. The palate is pleasantly rustic, with red and blackcurrant, violet, minerals, and earth notes.
A long finish and sharp, powdery tannins make this an excellent pairing for prime rib, pork chops, oxtail, and other fatty meats.
6. 2019 Amici Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
This one is right on the limit of our fifty dollar budget. If it's not on the limit of your budget, you might want to check out our guide to the very best cab where money isn't important.
This 2019 Amici Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a softly textured Cabernet with a floral, spiced personality. It blends 88% Cabernet Sauvignon with 6% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, aged for 20 months, in 75% new French oak barrels.
The nose has an abundance of character, with sweet vanilla beans, cedar, rose petal, blackcurrant, and dark chocolate aromas. Take a sip, and you get swathes of plum, cherry, fig, leather, and vanilla wrapped up in smooth tannins.
This wine's soft texture and grippy finish highlight the sweet flavors. It pairs perfectly with duck, game birds, turkey, cured meats, and roast pork.
5. 2018 Canvasback Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
This bright Cabernet is produced with fruit from Red Mountain's finest growers, with the 2018 growing season being warmer than usual, producing intensely acidic fruit. It spent 20 months in 100% French oak - 40% new and 60% neutral.
The nose explodes with oak, allspice, black pepper, and blackberry, with hints of vanilla and raspberry. Take a sip, and the palate starts with forest fruit, leading to crushed violets, red licorice, leather, cedar, and allspice on the finish.
The tannins demonstrate a velvety character, with lots of energy carrying the dark and red fruit flavors. It pairs best with smoked cheeses and pasta.
4. 2019 Raymond Reserve Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
Expressive blends don't come finer than this. 2019 Raymond Reserve is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 2% Petite Sirah, and 1% Merlot, aged for 18 months in oak with extended maceration for deep, complex flavors.
The nose has expressive raspberry, blackberry, plum, and licorice notes with a hint of oak. Cherry and oak lead to chocolate, boysenberry, and blueberry on the palate.
Being a Reserve, this wine is one of Raymond Vineyard's most prestigious bottles. Hints of pepper, allspice, and mocha give the finish a warm character, with dense tannins coating the palate. Try it with grilled lamb and smoked meats.
3. 2019 The Hess Collection Iron Corral Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon
As the name suggests, this wine is produced with fruit from the prestigious Iron Corral Estate. It's a classic Cabernet with small amounts of Malbec and Petit Verdot, velvety tannins, and a medium to full-bodied profile.
Expect excellent structure with black and red fruit, oak, and baking spice notes. The nose is a compelling bouquet of espresso, black cherry, clove, and cocoa nibs, with the palate adding layers of fig, tobacco, spiced plumb, and cassis.
We love this wine's morish flavors and medium to full body, which does a treat with venison stew, roast beef, and lamb cutlets.
2. 2019 Bianchi Particular Cabernet Sauvignon
San Rafael is one of Argentina's finest wine-growing regions in the center of the Mendoza province. The 2019 Bianchi Particular Cabernet Sauvignon is a pure interpretation of the region with swathes of black pepper and dark fruit.
The pronounced nose has spicy and toasty notes with blackberry and fig undertones. The palate impresses with blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, and oak, with gentle, dusty tannins and a sharp finish making it highly approachable.
I love this wine with charcuterie, antipasti, roast beef, game birds, and grilled lamb, or you can enjoy it as a sipping wine with friends.
1. 2018 Hacienda Araucano Gran Araucano Cabernet Sauvignon
The top spot on our guide to the best Cabernet under $50 goes to a Chilean wine from Colchagua. The 2018 Hacienda Araucano Gran Araucano is magnificently intense with balsamic, blackberry, and fresh herb notes.
This wine pours deep purple with a delicious bouquet of smoky oak, anise, blackberry, and earth. Supple tannins and a dense mouthfeel coat the palate with anise, cocoa nibs, cherry, and blackcurrant with a touch of leather and smoke.
The palate is full-bodied with a fruity, refreshingly acidic profile. Pair it with prime rib, Kobe beef, wagyu, lamb cutlets, and hearty stews.
