A cabernet with a magnificent 20 year life before it, on the streets this week for just $20, this has to be one of the bargains of the year. It seems De Bortoli’s once famous cabernets have been eclipsed by its pinots, shirazes and chardonnays for some years. No longer. Chief Winemaker Steve Webber names cabernet as the variety of the vintage in his Dixon’s Creek estate vineyards in 2012, and on the evidence, I’m a believer. From the outset, this is one of the greats in the De Bortoli cabernet lineage, an amazing colour, deep black with a very narrow, vibrant purple rim. It’s a wine of remarkable energy and focus, channelling understated violets, crunchy blackcurrants, pristine cassis, even graphite and high cocoa dark chocolate. It’s very young, lively and energetic, with tangy acid drive and finely structured tannins of consummate refinement, low alcohol yet impeccably ripe. $20 at Nillumbik Cellars, Aussie Wines, No Frills Wine and Wine List Australia.