Rare quality Cabernet under $20

THE POST, May 10, 2025 – Page 73 | John Jens

How do professional wine buyers and writers find great value for money?
They may look at or taste up to 150 wines a week over several decades, the majority masked or “blind”. Some marvellous value or quality finds can result from blind tastings.

Many wineries send samples of new releases and some panel members may purchase wines to mix into sample groups to take tasters out of their comfort zones.

■ Blackstone Paddock wines got gold-star reviews in blind tastings.

Established in 2007, ‘Blackstone Paddock’ has a great wine-award lineage and deserved a refresh and elevation of the whole brand proposition. It is a multi-tier wine brand, offering premium varietal wines from iconic regions from the Barossa to Margaret River, with the top stalwarts of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon and Limited Release wines such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. (Aldi)

Barry Weinman, who has his own website Weinman on Wine, Brendan Jansen Perth Master of Wine (the highest accolade awarded in the international wine world), and Nedlands local wine zealot Terry James, taste together regularly in this way.

Barry, who has been tasting for more than 30 years, often includes wines bought from the chains, to keep the tasters honest and to see if there is value there.

On many occasions during the past decade, the Aldi Group’s own wines have shown marvellously against wines many times their price. Clearly whoever is selecting wines for Aldi is astute and knowledgeable.

Aldi’s Blackstone Paddock cabernet sauvignon 2022 from Margaret River, available at under $20, recently received gold medal points from each of the three experienced tasters when up against eight of Australia’s biggest name $100+ cabernets.

This wine is exceptional value for money.

While it is very young, the soft plush tannins enveloping the ripe but restrained varietal cabernet fruit adds a wonderful fine and gentle structuring to the mouth feel. The fruit is appealing, dense and of serious length.

There are no corners, edges or grippy or aggressive tannins and the fruit at the centre of the palate is placid and long. It has a wonderfully clean finish and a cleansing, lingering aftertaste.

If you duck down to your local Aldi and grab a few of these – and perhaps a few other selections – for cellaring for the next five to 10 years, they will repay your patience with even greater satisfaction.