Lindemans, South Eastern Australia (Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Here’s an $8 Cabernet that was awarded a Gold Medal at the San Diego International Wine Competition.  And it deserved it.  Medium- to full-bodied, it shows classic Cabernet fruit notes of blackberry and black cherry, with very light wood influence in the form of subtle vanilla and smoke backnotes.  It isn’t terribly complex, but it is very tasty, very well integrated, and has enough guts to stand up to substantial food.  All in all, there’s no doubt that this is a wine for the times.