A big win for a Texas Cabernet (plus 5 other Texas Cabs to try)

Texas enjoyed our own little Judgment of Paris this week when a Hill Country winery won a top prize in The San Francisco Chronicle’s annual Wine Competition. Yessirree–that’s right, California. A Texas Cab beat out many storied Napa producers to achieve the “Best in Class” award for a Cabernet in the $90 to $99 price range.

The victorious bottle was from Singing Water Vineyards of Comfort, Texas. (It’s a small town about midway between Kerrville and San Antonio.) According to an interview with owners Andy and Missy Ivankovich, they’ve had their sights set on making a top-tier Cabernet for the last several years. And–with the help of winemaker Pat Johnson–they’ve done it. In the largest competition of North American wines, it was a proud showing for Texas in a category that is almost always dominated by California winemakers.

Naturally, Texas wine fans have known all along what the SF Chronicle’s wine judges are just now figuring out: Texas reds are a force to be reckoned with. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most-planted wine grape in Texas, as it is in the United States and worldwide. Alongside wines from our number-two grape, Tempranillo, Texas Cabs are starting to gain national recognition.

Cabernet ripens easily in the Texas heat and the diversity of soils across the state gives winemakers a lot of terroir-related knobs and buttons to play with. The High Plains and Hill Country regions especially are capable of producing Cabernets with concentrated small berries and a distinctive mineral character.

The archetypal Texas Cab is a dry “steak wine” with a robust black fruit flavors. They’re generally full-bodied with high alcohol levels and soft tannins. French and American oak barrels are widely used and the hot weather can accelerate and intensify oak-derived flavors. Quality Texas Cabs can benefit from extended bottle aging and often have prominent aromas of vanilla, mocha, cedar, tobacco, and leather.

Most Texas Cabernet goes into blends with other Bordeaux varieties. However, a few producers have brought out bottles that are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Blending across vintages is also practiced, as it balances the effects of Texas’s extreme weather. (The triumphant Singing Water Cabernet is a non-vintage bottling.)

We’re not surprised that a Texas Cab showed so well in a national competition–but if you want to raise a glass of Singing Water, you may have to dine out or phone a wine friend. This looks to be a very exclusive wine. It’s only available to wine club members and at a couple of San Antonio area restaurants.

And then there’s the sticker shock. Napa produces slews of 90-dollar Cabs–making Singing Water’s win in that bracket even more impressive. But in Texas, even the rare and sought-after wines tend to stay well under the triple-digit price point.

We’re excited for the future of premium Texas wines–but there’s good bottles to be had at every price point. While you wait for your confirmation email from Singing Water’s wine club, here are five other Texas Cabs to chew on.

All of these wines are widely available in Texas and many are budget-friendly. Prices shown here are suggested retail–winery clubs and discount stores may have them for less.

Rare Pick: Eden Hill Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon

But for starters, how about a rare Cab that’s actually obtainable? Like Singing Water, Eden Hill cleaned up in California in 2025, taking home eight SF Chronicle medals for its Texas wines. Its boutique winery is located in Celina, up in Dallas’s burgeoning north suburbs.

The Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon is only produced in select years, and only 200 cases were made of the 2022 vintage. The grapes are from the High Plains AVA (near Brownfield) and the barrel-aging was done in Celina in 50% new French oak. The blend is predominantly Cab Sauv with a touch of Petit Verdot. Decanting is recommended: This wine is hand-bottled, unfined and unfiltered to preserve the essence of Texas terroir.

Price: $75

Where to get it: Eden Hill Winery (locations in Celina and Dallas Farmers Market), also ships within Texas

Local Pick: Landon Cabernet Sauvignon

This mouth-filling Texas Cab displays flavors of blackberry, cassis, plum and leather. We enjoy it lightly chilled with one of Landon Winery’s generous meat and cheese boards.

Price: $29

Where to get it: Landon Winery‘s 6 DFW-area locations, and at stores around the state

Budget Pick: Becker “Iconoclast” Cabernet

If you want to wet your whistle with Texas Cabernet and have some cash left over for groceries, try this one. Iconoclast is a best-selling wine at Becker and for good reason. It’s an easy-drinking blend of four classic Bordeaux grapes. It exhibits a berry basket of red, blue, and black fruits, abundant baking spice, and smooth vanilla. And it’s 100% Texas wine for under 12 bucks.

The 2022 bottling is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 5% Petite Sirah. It was aged 12 months in oak barrels before release.

Price: $11

Where to get it: Total Wine, Specs, and H-E-B all carry Becker. The winery ships to Texas and many other states.

Collector Pick: Messina Hof Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (2021)

The Private Reserve Cabernet is Messina Hof’s Italian-inflected riff on a Bordeaux blend. Doubled-aged in both French and American oak, it’s full-bodied and slightly spicy. A dose of Sagrantino (~15%) adds extra tannic structure and age-worthiness.

The most current release is 2021, but Messina Hof often has older vintages in stock. (Visit or call the winery for details.) For the price of a single bottle of Napa Cab, you can set up your own vertical tasting of the Texas High Plains.

High tannins and acid. Expect notes of blackberry, vanilla, and leather tinged with green aromas of bell pepper and eucalyptus.

Price: $35

Where to get it: Messina Hof wineries and website (but we’ve seen this bottle for under $18 at Specs and Total Wine)

Grocery-Aisle Pick: Llano “Harvest” Cabernet Sauvignon

Texas’s largest premium winery (Llano Estacado) partnered with Texas’s largest grocery store chain (H-E-B) for a line of store-exclusive Texas wines. What could be more Texan than that? Wait, I know: Putting it in your truck and cutting people off on I-45 on your way to a chili cook-off, of course!

Harvest Cabernet has flavors of black cherry, blackcurrant, and plum accented with smooth hints of cedar and vanilla. It spent 9 months oak aging in old French barrels. The 2021 vintage is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.

Price: $20.78

Where to get it: H-E-B stores