Napa Valley: hillside Cabernets, historic houses and cult wines
60 bottles, from valley-floor Cabernet to hillside crusA ripe, dense Cabernet, aged in barrel and built for the cellar: this is what the Napa Valley has been bottling ever since Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' S.L.V. 1973 beat the great Bordeaux wines at the Judgement of Paris in 1976. Some fifty kilometres, from the cool bay in the south to the heat of Calistoga.
Here you will find the founding houses (Heitz Cellar, Far Niente, Duckhorn), the hillside crus (Dalla Valle, Ovid, Ink Grade), Bond's Cabernets, as well as Merlot, Chardonnay and a sweet wine.
Ovid - Hexameter 2017
Cocoa, tobacco and black fruit, a Napa blend with a velvety texture.
Bond - Quella 2021
A hillside Cabernet Sauvignon combining fruit purity, freshness, and remarkable length.
Nickel & Nickel - State Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
A single plot in Yountville, a Cabernet with a silky grain and a long finish.
Dalla Valle - Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Blackcurrant, black cherry and cedar: a Napa Cabernet with dense, classy tannins.
Bond - St Eden 2021
A single-vineyard Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, marrying depth, precision and the sculpted elegance of the St. Eden terroir.
Pine Ridge - Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
A structured and generous Napa Valley Cabernet, which combines aromatic intensity and elegance on the palate.
Ink Grade - Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
A structured and precise mountain Cabernet, intensely expressing the volcanic freshness of Howell Mountain.
Bond - Vecina 2021
A hillside Cabernet Sauvignon that is at once powerful, precise and deeply rooted in the Napa Valley terroir.
Bond - Melbury 2021
A precise and deep hillside Cabernet Sauvignon, combining aromatic intensity and elegant texture.
Duckhorn - The Discussion 2018
Duckhorn's flagship: black fruit, cedar and tobacco in a blend built to last.
Bond - Pluribus 2021
A Spring Mountain hillside Cabernet, deep, structured, and with great aromatic precision.
Dalla Valle - Collina 2019
The gateway to the world of Dalla Valle: cherry, raspberry and supple tannins.
From Oakville to Howell Mountain, what the place changes
The valley floor gives broad Cabernets, the hillsides tighter, fresher wines.
| Sector | Soil and climate | Wine style | In the cellar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakville | Alluvial gravels at the foot of the Mayacamas; hot days, nights cooled by the bay | Ripe blackcurrant, broad tannins, a minty note at Martha's Vineyard | Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard 2018also Far Niente, Silver Oak, Dalla Valle |
| Rutherford | The Rutherford Bench: well-drained gravels and silts, steady warmth | The "Rutherford dust": powdery tannins, black cherry, dry earth | Staglin Estate 2019also Bella Union, Elizabeth Spencer, Heitz Trailside |
| Stags Leap District | Volcanic cliffs, stony soils, an afternoon breeze from the bay | Red and black fruit, silky tannins, an iron fist in a velvet glove | Stag's Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. 2020also FAY, Cask 23, Artemis, Pine Ridge |
| St. Helena and Spring Mountain | Narrow, warm valley; volcanic soils on the slopes of the Mayacamas | Generous black fruit on the valley floor, fine grain and freshness at altitude | Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon 2020also Heitz Cellar, Bond Quella and Pluribus |
| Howell Mountain | A plateau above the fog, from 425 m; poor volcanic tuffs | Firm tannins, concentrated black fruit, long ageing potential | Ink Grade Cabernet Sauvignon 2019also Ink Grade Andosol |
| Pritchard Hill | Eastern hillsides above Lake Hennessey, from 250 to 600 m; volcanic rock | Dense structure, cocoa, ripe black fruit, velvety texture | Ovid Hexameter 2017also Bond Melbury, on the hills above the lake |
| Coombsville | In the south-east, volcanic ash from an ancient caldera, cooling from the bay | White wine country in our cellar: taut, pure, finely textured Chardonnay | Haynes Corazon 2021also the grapes for Far Niente Chardonnay |
| Carneros and Calistoga | Carneros in the south, windy and cool; Calistoga in the north, hot by day | Taut Chardonnay and Sauvignon in Carneros, fleshy Merlot towards Calistoga | Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch 2022also Duckhorn Three Palms, near Calistoga |
Cuvées that blend several districts, such as Postmark, Paraduxx or Timeless, carry the Napa Valley label, the appellation that covers them all. Find the grape from every country on our Cabernet Sauvignon page.
What you get at each price tier
The price of a Napa follows the rarity of the vineyard and the length of its ageing potential.
| Level | What you get | Example wine | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| From €39 to €60 | Cabernet in its most direct form: ripe fruit, discreet oak, to drink within three years | Postmark Cabernet Sauvignon 2021also Stag's Leap Hands of Time 2018 at €52.40 | €39.60 |
| From €60 to €100 | The classics from the historic houses, five to ten years' ageing potential | Duckhorn Merlot 2022also Pine Ridge, €88 per bottle in packs of 2 | €73.20 |
| From €100 to €200 | A single vineyard, long ageing in new barrels, fifteen years of ageing potential | Nickel & Nickel John Sullenger 2019also Silver Oak at €199.90, Artemis at €119.90 | €189.90 |
| From €200 to €300 | The big names of Oakville and Stags Leap, twenty years in the cellar | Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon 2020also FAY at €239.90, S.L.V. at €295 | €225 |
| From €400 to €700 | Hillside crus and rare labels, produced in small quantities | Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon 2018also Cask 23 at €440, Ovid at €660 | €492 |
| Over €1,000 | The cult wines: one Cabernet per vineyard, signed by Bill Harlan's house | Bond St. Eden2018 and 2019 at €1,045, 2021 at €1,112 | €1,045 |
| Magnum and half-bottle | The magnum for ageing, the half-bottle for a sweet wine | Silver Oak Napa Valley 2017 in magnumalso Far Niente at €440, Dolce 37.5 cl at €129.40 | €429 per magnum |
To stay under €100, the price filter on this page does the sorting: Napa wines under €100.
A Napa for every occasion
One bottle for each craving, from the valley's first Cabernet to the collector's wine.
Discover Napa Cabernet
Ripe blackcurrant and polished tannins, the valley's style in a direct version, to open with grilled meat.
Postmark Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 · €39.60 per bottleFor Merlot lovers
The grape that made Duckhorn: plum, chocolate, a hint of leather, a supple texture for roast duck.
Duckhorn Merlot 2022 · €73.20 per bottleA Napa Chardonnay for the table
Grapes from Coombsville, the cool corner of the valley: a rich, balanced white for chicken in a cream sauce.
Far Niente Chardonnay 2023 · €119.90 per bottleA fresh white for aperitifs
Grapefruit, lime and herbaceous notes: a taut Sauvignon for aperitifs and seafood.
Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc 2022 · €42 per bottleA sweet wine for dessert
Noble rot, candied apricot, honey and caramel: a 37.5 cl half-bottle for foie gras.
Dolce Late Harvest 2014 · €129.40 per half-bottleA magnum for a big gathering
The silky Cabernet of Stags Leap in large format, which ages slowly and serves a dozen glasses.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis 2020 · €220 per magnumA bottle of history to give
The cuvée whose 1973 vintage beat the Bordeaux wines at the Judgement of Paris, a gift with a story to tell.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. 2020 · €295 per bottleA cult wine for collectors
A single-vineyard Cabernet from Oakville, made by Bill Harlan's house, across several vintages.
Bond St. Eden · €1,045 per bottle (2018 and 2019)
Paying for what Napa does best
Napa comes at a price, and the price can be explained: an acre in the valley is among the most expensive in the wine world, yields stay low and ageing in new barrels is costly. That price buys one precise thing: ripeness. The Californian sun takes Cabernet to a level of fruit the Médoc reaches only in its great years, and the oak gives that fruit a structure to last twenty years.
The style has its fans and its detractors. We choose the cuvées where freshness holds the ripeness in check: Stags Leap for silkiness, Howell Mountain for tension, Martha's Vineyard for its minty note. A Napa is judged at ten years old; young, it mostly shows its oak.
How do you choose
Every bottle is tasted before it enters our cellar. We look for a Cabernet whose acidity carries the ripe fruit, oak melted into the wine rather than sitting on top of it, and a finish that lingers. We keep the historic houses for their consistency, and the hillsides (Howell Mountain, Pritchard Hill, Spring Mountain) for those who prefer a tauter Napa.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What we are asked about Napa Valley
Which Napa district should you choose for a Cabernet?
Oakville and Rutherford, in the centre of the valley, produce the most classic Cabernets: ripe blackcurrant, broad tannins, a minty or earthy note. Stags Leap District brings a silkier grain, Howell Mountain and Pritchard Hill a firmer structure, born of altitude and volcanic soils. The districts table pairs each one with an available cuvée.
Why are Napa wines expensive?
Land prices are among the highest in the world, yields stay low and ageing is often done in new barrels. There are nevertheless some fine entry points: the Postmark Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 at €39.60 or the Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc 2022 at €42. See Napa wines under €100.
What was the Judgement of Paris?
A blind tasting held in Paris in 1976 by the wine merchant Steven Spurrier. Up against the great growths of Bordeaux, the French jury ranked Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' S.L.V. 1973, the estate's first commercial vintage, top of the reds. The cuvée still exists: the S.L.V. 2020 is €295 a bottle.
How long can you keep a Napa Cabernet?
An entry-level Cabernet is best drunk within three to five years. Far Niente or Silver Oak benefit from eight to fifteen years, Martha's Vineyard, Cask 23 or Dalla Valle twenty years or more. A magnum slows down evolution: the Silver Oak 2017 in 1.5 L is €429.
What is the difference between Napa and Sonoma?
The two valleys are neighbours, separated by the Mayacamas Mountains. Napa, warmer and sheltered, has specialised in Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. Sonoma, larger and open to the Pacific fogs, shines with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel. To compare, see our Sonoma and Mendocino page.
Does Napa produce wines other than Cabernet?
Yes. Duckhorn built its reputation on Merlot (Three Palms 2019 at €139.90). Coombsville and Carneros produce taut Chardonnays, such as the Haynes Corazon 2021 at €254, and Dolce makes a noble-rot sweet wine. All the whites are on our white wine page.
What food should you serve with a Napa Cabernet?
Its ripeness and tannins call for grilled or roast red meat: rib of beef, duck breast, leg of lamb with herbs. A well-aged Comté also suits it. For a young vintage, decant for an hour; for a wine over ten years old, open it just before serving and serve it at around 17 °C.
Why are some bottles sold in packs of 2?
A few cuvées are sold only in pairs, such as the Pine Ridge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, at €88 a bottle, and the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Aveta Sauvignon Blanc 2023, at €55.40 a bottle. The price shown is always for one bottle, to make comparison easy.