Napa Valley

Napa Valley is the undisputed king of American wine, a small but mighty region synonymous with world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. Located just north of San Francisco, Napa Valley is a global benchmark for quality, producing powerful, opulent, and age-worthy red wines that command premium prices. With its iconic estates, luxurious hospitality, and a history of triumph on the world stage, Napa is the heart of fine wine culture in the United States.

Food Pairings with Napa Valley Wines

Cabernet Sauvignon: The classic pairing is a high-quality steak. It is also excellent with roast lamb, burgers, or aged hard cheeses.
Chardonnay: Pair with lobster, crab, roast chicken in a cream sauce, or mushroom risotto.
Merlot: A great match for roast duck, pork loin, or pasta with a meat sauce.

Geography & Climate

Napa Valley is a small, narrow valley about 30 miles long and a few miles wide. It is flanked by the Vaca Mountains to the east and the Mayacamas Mountains to the west. This geography creates a perfect climate for grape growing, with a variety of microclimates.

The San Pablo Bay at the southern end funnels in cool fog and breezes, making the southern part of the valley (like the Carneros AVA) cooler and ideal for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. As you move north, the climate gets progressively warmer, providing the perfect conditions for ripening Cabernet Sauvignon.

The valley floor and the surrounding hillsides offer a complex mosaic of soil types, contributing to the diversity of wine styles.

History of Napa Valley

Napa’s first commercial winery was established in the 1860s by pioneers like Charles Krug. The industry thrived until Prohibition in the 1920s brought it to a grinding halt, with only a few wineries surviving by making sacramental wine. The modern era began in the 1960s with the arrival of visionaries like Robert Mondavi, who championed quality and innovation.

Napa Valley’s global fame was cemented by the “Judgment of Paris” in 1976, a blind tasting where a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars) and Chardonnay (Chateau Montelena) beat the best wines of France, shocking the wine world and proving that California could produce wines of the highest caliber.

Subregions and Appellations

Known for its "Rutherford Dust" character, producing Cabernet Sauvignon with fine, dusty tannins.

Home to some of Napa’s most famous "cult" Cabernets, known for their richness and structure.

Famous for producing elegant and perfumed Cabernet Sauvignon with soft, velvety tannins.

A mountain AVA known for producing powerful, tannic, and intensely concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon.

A cooler AVA spanning both Napa and Sonoma, famous for its high-quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Signature Wine Styles

Red

Cabernet Sauvignon: This is Napa's signature. The wines are typically full-bodied, powerful, and opulent, with ripe black fruit flavors (blackcurrant, blackberry, cassis), often with notes of cedar, mocha, and vanilla from new oak aging. The best examples have fine-grained tannins and can age and evolve for decades.
Bordeaux Blends: Many of Napa's most famous and expensive wines are "Meritage" or Bordeaux-style blends, combining Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec to create complex, multi-layered wines.

White

Chardonnay: Napa Chardonnay is typically made in a rich, full-bodied style, often with barrel fermentation and aging. Expect flavors of ripe apple, pear, and tropical fruit, with notes of butter, cream, and toast. In recent years, more winemakers are also crafting fresher, less-oaked styles.

Notable Producers

Screaming Eagle

An iconic "cult" winery from Oakville, whose tiny production of Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most expensive and sought-after wines in the world.

Harlan Estate

Another legendary producer of ultra-premium, Bordeaux-inspired red blends that fetch astronomical prices.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

The winery whose Cabernet Sauvignon won the 1976 Judgment of Paris, putting Napa on the world map.

Robert Mondavi Winery

The pioneering estate that helped to shape the modern Napa Valley and champion its wines globally.

Opus One

A prestigious joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe Rothschild of Bordeaux, created to produce a single, world-class Bordeaux blend.

Fun Facts about Napa Valley

Napa Valley produces only 4% of California's total wine volume, but accounts for over 30% of its value.
The 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting was recreated 30 years later in 2006 with the same wines, and Napa Valley wines won again.
A single ton of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon grapes can cost over ten times the average price for grapes elsewhere in California.
The Napa Valley Wine Train offers a scenic journey through the heart of the wine region.

Napa Valley

Quick Facts

Key Grape Varieties

Red Varieties

White Varieties