Cabernet

1997 Mirassou Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast ($12).This was a big surprise. I've never been a big fan of Mirassou, but this cabernet is a real sleeper. It offers intense black cherry fruit with notes of chocolate, blackberry and herbs -- with none of the green pepper that can creep into Central Coast reds. It's quite accessible now, but has the structure to age well. The length of the finish is impressive. This will hold its own with many $25 California cabernets.Pub Date: 06/30/99

1996 Fetzer Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast ($16).The question here is which of the current crop of Fetzer Barrel Select wines to put in the spotlight. Should it be the rich, intense 1998 chardonnay? The pale but gripping 1997 pinot noir? The sleek, fruity 1997 merlot? My nod goes to the cabernet, a medium- to full-bodied red wine with generous black cherry and cassis flavors. This gripping cabernet, a standout in this price range, could age five to seven years but is perfectly lovely now. If you haven't procured a companion for your Christmas roast beef, here's a worthy contender.

1993 Vina Tarapaca Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Maipo Valley ($10).The list of excellent wine producers from Chile continues to grow. This full-bodied, supple cabernet displays concentrated blackberry and chocolate flavors, with a well-integrated earthiness and hint of herbes de Provence. At almost 5 years of age, it's a mature wine with a well-developed bouquet.Pub Date: 1/18/98@

1995 Fetzer Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast ($18).This complex, elegant, concentrated wine with an abundance of black cherry fruit is an excellent choice for a special occasion. It offers a layering of flavors more characteristic of a $30 cabernet - with hints of chocolate and herbs. The length and acidity are excellent, and while the wine is ready to drink now, it should age gracefully for five or six years.Pub Date: 9/16/98

1994 Trumpeter Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipu, Argentina ($9).This Argentine cabernet is a medium- to full-bodied red wine with earthy, meaty flavors and a surprisingly fine structure for its price range. It's a little on the rustic side but delivers plenty of ripe black-cherry flavor. It should age quite well for three to five years, but is fully ready to drink now.@

This delicious, medium-bodied cabernet is loaded with sweet black cherry fruit and just the right hint of oak. It's a relatively simple, straightforward wine but thoroughly enjoyable. It delivers cabernet flavor with the softness of merlot. Best of all, it's widely available in both regular and jug sizes. To mass-produce a wine of this quality is a real achievement.

This brash young cabernet is a bit raw and unpolished, but it's a lot of fun in its bumptious way. It's not very complex and it needs some time in the glass to tone down, but it has a kind of in-your-face swagger that's fun, though hardly classic. (A wine for Deion Sanders fans?) What makes it work is the flavor -- lots of blackcurrant and cedar. Give it two or three years and it could acquire class.

In Wednesday's A La Carte section, an incorrect wine label was pictured. The correct label for the 1993 Napa Ridge North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Barrel, is shown above.The Sun regrets the errors.

This weekend, all across America, people will throw steaks on the grill and uncork a bottle of fine red wine.They will open up California cabernet sauvignons and Washington merlots, zinfandels and Chiantis, Beaujolais and Barolos, Riojas and Rhones. A few will even descend into their cellars and bring out aged bottles of Burgundy and Bordeaux.Very few of these wines will be the perfect matchup with steak. Very few consumers will care. They'll have a good time and the wines will enhance their enjoyment of the meal.

In 1395, Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, decreed that no red grape other than the noble pinot noir would be allowed in the greatest vineyards of that famous winemaking region.Acre upon acre of the less esteemed gamay grape was grubbed up and banished to Beaujolais to make way for the aristocratic pinot. The reputation of Burgundy soared as the kings of France made its red wines their tipple of choice.A dozen years ago, however, Philip's edict was beginning to look like Phil's Folly. The reputation of red Burgundy was in tatters after decades of indifferent winemaking and outright adulteration.

2008 Black Opal Cabernet Merlot From: South Eastern Australia Price: $7 Serve with: Hamburgers, pizza, ribs This Australian red wine, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, doesn't have the complexity that puts critics in the rapture zone. What is has is pleasant, smooth, accessible black cherry fruit and impeccable balance. Not to mention a most attractive price tag and a convenient screw cap. Throw it in a picnic basket and leave the corkscrew at home.

2007 The Other From: Lodi, Calif. Price: $16 Serve with: Red meat, hearty pasta dishes Despite its velvety veneer, this lush, concentrated red wine from Peirano Estate Vineyards packs a real punch. It's a palate-grabbing blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah with a whopping 15.8 percent alcohol concealed under ripe blackberry fruit and portlike flavors. This isn't a wine for delicate European palates, but those who appreciate a big California-style red will love it. -

2006 Bin 36 Cabernet Sauvignon From: Central Coast, Calif. Price: $18 Serve with: Red meat, pasta The Bin 36 on this label is a well-known Chicago restaurant, which is producing this line of wines in conjunction with California's Hahn Estates. The Bin 36 wines - chardonnay, merlot, syrah and cabernet - all appear to have been made with restaurant consumption in mind. That can be either positive or negative, depending on the results in the glass. In this case, the cabernet comes up as a real winner because of the purity of the fruit and the intensity of the black-cherry fruit.

This sparkling rose provides an excellent alternative to Champagnes of a similar style that are two or three times the price. The cabernet-franc grape gives the wine more edge and overt fruit than pinot-noir-based rose wines. It's a lively, elegant wine that is perfect for pairing with food or for a romantic occasion. Bouvet Rose Excellence From: Loire Valley, France Price: $17 Serve with: Salmon, ham, appetizers

Here's a wine worth putting away in a cool place for five to 10 years, but if you insist on drinking it now, you'll still be rewarded. This classy blend of cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot and malbec delivers terrific balance and complexity - with flavors of black cherry, smoked meat, chocolate and herbs. It's a full-bodied, layered wine with exceptional potential and all the penetration you expect of fruit from California's Napa Valley. 2005 Buoncristiani OPC Proprietary Red Wine From: Napa Valley, Calif.

Yes, it's a bit pricey, but this is an exceptionally well-made merlot with a texture and flavor that truly distinguishes itself from cabernet sauvignon. (Funny how many California merlots are just insipid cabernet wannabes.) This lush, ripe, complex wine offers intense, layered flavors of black cherry, raspberry and cassis. It's quite drinkable now but has the backbone to improve in the cellar for five to eight years. 2005 Luna Merlot From : Napa Valley, Calif. Price: $34 Serve with: Beef, lamb

This wine from Tamayo Family Vineyards is a special label for this football-crazy market and thus something of a gimmick. If only all gimmicks tasted so good. It's a full-bodied dry red wine that is so jampacked with fruit it gives the impression of sweetness without the syrup. A blend of zinfandel, syrah and cabernet sauvignon, it offers layers of black-cherry, blackberry, chocolate and herb flavors. Imagine a fine port without the residual sugar. At four years, it's mature and mellow and perfect to serve with barbecue.

2007 Evil Cabernet Sauvignon From: Southeast Australia Price: $12 Serve with: Red meat, pasta This medium-bodied, nonvintage red wine is a blend of seven red-wine varietals - from the well-known cabernet sauvignon to the less-well-known carignane. (Its white counterpart is a comparably charming and identically priced seven-grape melange.) The red wine is well-balanced, fruity, ready to drink now - with flavors of blackberry, black pepper, cherry, vanilla and smoked meat. It finishes with good acidity and finds a good middle ground between simplicity and snootiness.

From: Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Calif. Price: $23 Serve with: Lamb, better cuts of beef Ghost Pines is one of Gallo's "ghost" labels, but an association with the Modesto, Calif., giant is rapidly becoming more of a positive recommendation than a warning flag. This full-bodied, stylish cabernet from Napa (61 percent) and Sonoma (39 percent) offers pure and intense black cherry and black currant with a distinct Napa style predominating. It's reasonably complex and well-structured and will benefit from age, but can be enjoyed young.

2005 Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon From: Alexander Valley, Calif. Price: $30 Serve with: Top beef cuts, leg of lamb Good things seem to be happening at Sebastiani, a venerable Sonoma County winery. This cabernet is as good a wine as I've ever tasted from this Calif. company. This is a full-bodied, structured wine with layers of intense flavor - black cherry, herbs, smoked meat - and a persistent finish. While enjoyable now, it should age well for 15 to 20 years. Despite its youth, it's already throwing some sediment (a good sign)