Gnarly Head Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wine, California

The label settles two questions and leaves the rest open. The grape is Cabernet Sauvignon and the origin is California, and neither word tells you how the wine will taste. Cabernet Sauvignon is a red grape grown in many places, and often part of a blend. The grape references we follow describe its fruit as black currant, cherry and plum, with a firm, mouth-drying grip and, where oak is used, a touch of spice. They also say ripeness, climate and winemaking can push it toward a lighter, herbal style or a fuller, fruit-led one. Who makes this particular bottle under the Gnarly Head name is something we cannot confirm yet.

If price is your first filter, this is toward the cheaper end of the reds we track for a Cabernet, running from $13.99 to $15.99 in our September 2026 checks. The wines we track carry a median rating of 4.71, and this bottle sits above it. Given how far Cabernet can swing, the figure that stands out is the one from its 17 ratings: an average of 4.94.

Our call: pick it if a lower-priced Cabernet is the brief; it runs toward the cheaper end of the reds we track while the shoppers who have scored it place it above the middle of the rated wines we cover. Pass if you decide on a settled track record; that count is still early, and who makes the wine remains unconfirmed.

The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Sep 16, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.