Considering the challenging vintage that resulted in half the usual crop for the region, Jonathan Cristaldi was able to taste 140 Napa Valley Cabernet 2020 wines and has given his given his full verdict on the vintage now in bottle.
Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for the top 57 wines wines that scored 94 points and above.
Wines are listed in score order.
| Producer | Region | Score | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Estate, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 99 | The 2020 Harlan Estate is such a pretty wine—compact, tightly knit, with a coiled-up energy that delivers surprise and intrigue in every swirl and sip as the wine evolves in the glass. Leading with beautifully delicate wild herbs, dried and crushed bay laurel and sage, red and black currant fruit, and a pop of liquorice intermixed with cigar leaf. Medium to full-bodied with a richness to the mid-palate and intense grip from the wine’s multidimensional acidity. Almost feathery and extremely fine tannins frame all this, and the wine finishes long, cool, and so composed. Tasted at Harlan Estate with director of winegrowing Cory Empting and Will Harlan, managing director at Domain H. William Harlan. Both expressed to me that the 2020 vintage—while challenging because of the fires—has resulted in a critical inflection point in the evolution of Harlan. ‘We gained 5-10 years of learning in one year’, said Will, intimating that their scrupulous probing and attention to detail amounted to a genuinely academic year in farming. Empting, for his part, explained that while it’s not unusual for picks at Harlan to begin in late August, the entire property was finished with harvest by 12 September—the earliest in the estate’s history. Empting said that his greatest concern was wind direction after the LNU fire ignited on 17 August. Favourable winds kept the smoke at bay for their Oakville vines. Most importantly, Empting emphasised that the growing season, which began dry and warm and continued as much, meant that picking by the second week in September didn’t mean picking underripe grapes. ‘We weren’t just picking early to pick early; the grape ripened earlier’, he said, and given the age of their vines (30-40 years) and the fact that as of this writing, some 70% of the vineyard is dry-farmed, the vines are adapting in ways Empting and even longtime vineyard manager Bob Levy hadn’t imagined. Fermentations were faster but not hotter as sugar levels were lower, and while they pulled back on punch-downs, the wine macerated on the skins longer. ‘The result and surprise are in the details and fine-ness of tannins’, remarked Will, ‘It's not a complete departure; we feel we have removed the clouding and can see it all so unobstructed’. In short, the structure of the Harlan estate has come into focus. In subsequent vintages, as with 2021 and 2022, grapes were harvested on the earlier side, never eschewing ripeness but paying closer attention to what ‘ripeness’ means for the vines growing at Harlan Estate. For my part as a reviewer, the best observation I can make is that there is indeed a remarkable freshness and tension, like turning the page of a great Fitzgerald novel only to find the story continues to build, surprise, delight, and inspire intrigue. Click to see full details | |
| Screaming Eagle | Napa Valley | 2020 | 99 | Balanced, polished, seamless, and elegant—and just what you’d expect from this Oakville estate, humbly delivered in 2020. I had the chance to taste this release at Screaming Eagle on a cool, rainy day at the end of March 2023. It possessed the freshness of the air outside, coupled with the warmth of the vintage, offering expressive blue and violet wildflowers, boysenberry fruit, graphite, cedarwood and spearmint and beautiful loamy earth notes. Medium-bodied and flush with the purity of red crunchy cherry and plum fruit augmented by undercurrents of blue and black-toned notes as well this vintage. All this is framed by a rich tapestry of long, silky, layered tannins and the finish is punctuated by rose petal notes. This wine is unquestionably in the running for an upgrade to a 100-point score. It's a dynamic, expressive, and gorgeous showing from the challenging vintage. The team’s unyielding effort to bring harmony and balance to the vineyard comes together in the glass. It's an example of how precision farming and precision. Winemaking can capture the essence of a winery's signature style. Click to see full details | |
| Spottswoode, St Helena | Napa Valley | 2020 | 99 | 2020 Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon - St. Helena NV /// Lovely fragrant blackberry and black cherry fruit, cassis, and rich tobacco spices with lovely fresh earth notes and a sweet kiss of new wood cedar. Incredibly concentrated dark berry fruit with fabulously angular tannins with smooth long beams with crisp edges. Purple florals, dried sagebrush, and chocolate shavings with lids of graphite and deep iron-like mineral character. And a finish of dark saturated fruit that goes and goes for days. There are purple floras too. Polished and bright, with vivacious acidity and freshness evident from the sip to the finish. Wow, this wine. 98-100. // 13.7 ... has the potential to be a 100-point wine. Click to see full details | |
| Paul Hobbs, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard | Napa Valley | 2020 | 98 | 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the famous gravelly loam soils of Beckstoffer Dr Crane in the St. Helena AVA. This is a site that consistently delivers a gorgeous Cabernet, almost no matter the producer. Still, in the capable hands of Paul Hobbs, even in a challenging year like 2020, when many producers opted not to bottle their fruit, this wine radiates balance, pleasure, depth, and curiosity. A burst of classic, dusty, iron-like Dr Crane minerality is accompanied by sagebrush after a cool winter rain, spearmint, and cedar spices. Pure, silken, energetic and layered with red, black, and blue-toned fruits, dark chocolate, and gravelly, fine-grained tannins with a firm backbone of racy acidity. Long, lean, and built for the long haul. Click to see full details | |
| Quintessa, Rutherford | Napa Valley | 2020 | 98 | Here is one of the stars of this challenging vintage. A muscular wine, leading with tremendous freshness on the palate, restrained red-toned fruit, and very subtle yet elegant cedar wood intermixed with red-rock minerality. Medium to full-bodied, offering more black fruit on the palate, redolent of muddled blackberries and juicy plums. An iron fist in a velvet glove comes to mind, given the tannin texture, which leads with the furry, velvety side of the glove and transitions to an undercurrent of ironclad and dusty minerals. All this turns fresh and lively through the finish. Perhaps a bit hot on the alcohol, but this will soften soon enough—absolutely one of the more riveting wines of the entire vintage. I had the chance to taste this wine at Quintessa with Rebekah Wineburg, Winemaker and Rodrigo Soto, General Manager, and it was the last in a lineup of wines going back to the 1994 vintage, and it showed all I have written -- Wineburg and Soto are so finely in tuned with Quintessa’s vineyards that it’s almost no surprise they devised such a beautiful wine through such a difficult year, battling fires and dealing with obstacles related to the pandemic. Seek this out. Click to see full details | |
| Cathiard Vineyard | Napa Valley | 2020 | 97 | A very lovely and fresh, bright expression of 100% Napa Cabernet with nicely delineated dark fruit, liquorice, and tobacco notes. A wonderfully textured, medium-to-full-bodied wine with tremendous concentration on the palate and very fine-grained tannins. Complex brown spices and tobacco mingle with fresh floral notes through a lengthy finish. Grapes are sourced from 3.6 hectares acres off the highest block of the estate, with the oldest vines at 46 years of age. Florence and Daniel Cathiard, owners of Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux, bought the property in early 2020. The roughly 87-hectare estate hugs the eastern foothills of the Mayacamas. Justine Labbé is the general manager and head winemaker. Michelle Rolland consults. Picking began on 10 September and finished on 1 October, but they did not use any of the grapes that were picked after the Glass Fire erupted on 26 September. 9,000 bottles were produced. Click to see full details | |
| Corison, Kronos Vineyard, St Helena | Napa Valley | 2020 | 97 | Cathy Corisons’ iconic Kronos Vineyard bottling from St. Helena is made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in 50% new French oak. Remarkable purity of fruit and savoury aromatics. This is a beautiful wine with finely-delineated blackberry, black cherry, black currant notes and expressive graphite minerality. Fresh, lively, and built like a skyscraper, with long, firm beams of cedary tannins and tangy blood orange acidity. The finish is long, vivid, and marked by dried herbs, citrus, and wildflowers: a real highlight and a bright spot in this challenging vintage. Click to see full details | |
| DVO, Napa Valley Red | Napa Valley | 2020 | 97 | A collaboration project between Dalla Valle Vineyards of Napa Valley and Ornellaia of Tuscany. This is the third release, and despite the challenging vintage, winemaker Maya Dalla Valle and founder and proprietor Naoko Dalla Valle, along with winemaker Axel Heinz and CEO Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja of Ornellaia have produced one of the standout wines of the vintage. Effusive blackberry aromas are intermixed with graphite, cassis, liquorice, toasty cedar wood and tanned leather. This is a seamless wine with superb structure, freshness, and depth of character. Medium to full-bodied with rich dark cassis, loamy earth, elegant, fine-grained tannins, dusted wild herbs, brown spices, and a fabulously long mocha-tinged finish. It almost defies gravity—dense and powerful, yet with a tremendous lightness of energy. Sold in 3-pack wooden boxes. Click to see full details | |
| Favia, Coombsville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 97 | From winemaker, Andy Erickson comes this heady, perfumed Cabernet with excellent weight and plenty of tannins. Fruit-driven due to a slight backing of new oak in this vintage, blackberry and cherry lead the way, followed by cedarwood, sage leaf and bay laurel. Sumptuous, dense, and compact with long beams of very present yet compact tannins and excellent grip. Almost crunchy acidity is framed by graphite minerality, and the wine shows the intensity and power balanced by the freshness typical of Erickson’s winemaking. Sourced from three Coombsville vineyards: Meteor, The Rabbit Hole, and Collinetta. ‘We worked our asses off to make this wine,’ Erickson mused at his Coombsville estate. The Favia Wines are now featured on La Place de Bordeaux, and that comes with international attention Erickson sees the wines head to new markets around the globe, from Paris to the Philippines and Uruguay. Click to see full details | |
| Morlet Family Vineyards, St Helena | Napa Valley | 2020 | 97 | Such an elegant pure, pretty wine with finesse of character and juicy, bright energy. Heady and lifted aromatics lead with red and black-toned fruit, cherry and cherry pit, and lovely tobacco spices. Medium to full-bodied offering ripe strawberry, black cherry and blackberry underscored by crunchy acidity, almost like biting into pomegranate seeds. Silken tannins are long and beam-like, almost cedar-tinged, and flourishes of toffee and toasty oak round out a plush and fashionable wine. From Luc Morlet's estate in St. Helena, harvested at the end of September before the Glass Fire and aged 16 months in French oak, unfined and unfiltered. Click to see full details | |
| Morlet Family Vineyards, Coeur de Vallée, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 97 | A beautiful, full-bodied, mineral-driven, energetic wine with curvy edges from a very challenging vintage. The mineral-rich nose is infused with blackcurrant and Chambord, while the rich, dark berry fruit intermingles with cassis and a plethora of earth and salty mineral notes. Very precise tannins plump up with air, and the finish is marked by fresh, loamy soils and crushed stone notes. When winemaker Luc Morlet came across this 10.11-ha property for sale in the Oakville AVA, he noticed an unnamed creek running through it. Later, in 2016, Constellation Brands received permission to name it To Kalon Creek. Morlet says the site is low-vigour and comprised of 40-60% well-draining gravel planted two two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Cabernet Franc. Harvest finished on 17 September 2023, well before the Glass Fire. In another vintage with far fewer challenges, this would almost undoubtedly be a 100-point wine, and I plan to review it again in a year and see how it is progressing. Click to see full details | |
| Paul Hobbs, Nathan Coombs Estate, Coombsville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 97 | From the Nathan Coombs Estate in Coombsville, Paul Hobbs has fashioned one of the most refined, expressive Cabernets of the vintage. Aged 20 months in 96% new French oak, from an inky purple-black colour, comes a purely vibrant, ethereal wine with pure dark fruit aromatics, elegant cedar spices, sagebrush and spearmint. Full-bodied and polished with silky blackberry and blueberry fruit, tobacco, leather, black currants, and structured, building tannins with fine-boned acidity. An absolute marvel of a wine with a finish that goes on for up to a minute. Click to see full details | |
| Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, FAY, Stags Leap District | Napa Valley | 2020 | 97 | From the legendary Fay vineyard, this 2020 Cabernet includes a 2% splash of Cabernet Franc, aged 21 months, in 85% new French oak. Expressive black cherry fruit is scented with crushed red rock minerality and notes of dried rose petals. Medium to full-bodied on the palate with a wealth of concentrated blackberry and cherry fruits supported by elongated, supple tannins. Fine-boned acidity brings clarity to this powerful, elegant, mineral-laced red, which possesses a balletic lightness balanced by muscular tension on the long, drawn-out finish. Click to see full details | |
| Morisoli Vineyard, Rutherford | Napa Valley | 2020 | 97 | One of the more beautiful, fresh, and energetic 2020s of the vintage. Lifted red-toned fruits intermix with dusty minerals leading to a medium-bodied Cabernet rife with a lovely saline mineral edge and bright boysenberry fruits alongside red currants. Tightly-knit with very fine-grained tannins that are soft and almost satiny, with a tobacco and white-pepper-tinged finish that goes on and on to reveal dried sage and dark chocolate. Impressively fresh, and just 200 cases were produced—only the third vintage from Morisoli Vineyard. The contiguous 21.44-hectare site in Rutherford has been farmed by the Morisoli family since 1902. Spearheaded by Chris Morisoli (fifth generation) and his dad, Gary (fourth-gen), they hired winemaker Joel Aiken who served as Beaulieu Vineyard winemaker for 24 years. Under Aiken’s supervision, they are producing very limited production Cabernet off their family estate, which continues to sell grapes to producers such as Amici Cellars, Robert Biale Vineyards, Elyse, Etude, Sequoia Grove, among others. A unique feature of the back label is a set of two numbers that are grid coordinates, representing the vineyard and the Zaray-Panjwaji region in Afghanistan, where Chris Morisoli was stationed when serving in the military. Click to see full details | |
| B Cellars, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | Winemaker Kirk Venge likes to age his Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Cabernet for 28 months, but in the challenging 2020 vintage opted for 22 months, and the result is a lip-smacking, opulent, sophisticated red offering up dark black fruits, dusty herbs, and toasty cedar wood. Medium-bodied, with density to the fruit weight balanced by coiled-up energy and tension. A rush of juicy warm fruit fills the mid-palate, and tannins build on the finish, which unspools in savoury earth, black tea, and more dried herbs. Click to see full details | |
| Corison, St Helena | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | Medium to full-bodied, beautiful and restrained, with savoury aromatics of fennel, black liquorice, cedar, and black currants. Soft, satiny blackberry fruits are lifted by fine-grained yet supple tannins while a purity of fruit guides the palate to a long, tobacco-tinged finish marked by a mineral-freshness that beckons sip after sip—100% Cabernet aged 18 months in 50% new French oak barrels. Click to see full details | |
| Corison, Sunbasket Vineyard, St Helena | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | Cathy Corison's newest single-vineyard designate from Sunbasket Vineyard in St. Helena AVA, aged 20 months in 50% new French oak, shows the prowess of excellent winemaking. This tightly knit Cabernet is the iron fist in the velvet glove with lofty red-toned mineral aromatics atop cherry and black currant notes. At the same time, the palate is fresh and alive, sporting a linear quality that draws a straight line from the red- and black-toned fruit profile to the cedar-rich elegant, fine-grained tannins to the dried wild herb finish. This is a tightly-knit, masterful creation from the 2020 vintage and should be enjoyed now and often over the next 5-7 years, possibly longer. Click to see full details | |
| Fisher Vineyards, Cameron | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | A selection of younger vines from the Fisher Vineyards estate in Calistoga, a stone's throw from Eiesle and Venge. Gorgeously fragrant with crushed wild herbs, liquorice, wild mint and cedar. Full, rich, and well-endowed with hearty, building tannins and a dazzling display of succulent black-toned fruits, savoury brown baking spices, and currants, all supported by a firm backbone of acidity. A real standout of the challenging vintage. Click to see full details | |
| Harbison, 3 Blocks, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | Ripe black fruits, graphite, dusty herbs, and toasty oak with chocolate. Medium to full-bodied with intense grippy, angular tannins, saturated black fruits, dried thyme and sage, white pepper, and a long, satisfying finish. Harbison typically bottles three block-designate wines, but in 2020, they combined the best lots of those blocks, Horsehoe, Pony Express, and The Trail, and produced this wine. 125 cases total. Philanthropists Joe and Pat Harbison own this estate, which enjoys a border with Oakville’s Screaming Eagle. The winemaker is Jean Hoefliger. Click to see full details | |
| Kanpai Wines, Hi No Tori, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | A pretty, classic rendition of Napa Cabernet shines through in a challenging vintage. Pure blackberry fruit, graphite, herbs, and fine oak spices abound on this full-bodied Cabernet with notes of capsicum, black olive, and spiced plum and blackberry fruit, all laced with tobacco and leather—a real dynamite creation by Steve Matthiasson, exuding finesse, structured tannins and fine-boned acidity exuding freshness. The Cabernet grapes were de-stemmed and fermented on native yeast in stainless steel, then aged 18 months in 30% new French oak. Click to see full details | |
| Morlet Family Wines, Passionnément, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | Luc Morlet’s 2020 Passionnément is a blend of three terroirs. The backbone of this Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Couer de Valle, the Morlet’s estate vineyard in Oakville. At the same time, the Morlet Estate in St. Helena lends vibrancy, rounded out by savoury qualities courtesy of the Mon Chevalier vineyard in Knights Valley. Gorgeous aromatics merge all three, leading with heady cassis and black currant notes intermixed with dark black fruits, cedarwood and garrigue. Full-bodied, intense with a saline freshness and layers of crunch red and silky ripe black fruits, rich loamy earth, cigar box, and a plethora of dried florals and herbs on an exceedingly long finish. Click to see full details | |
| Paul Hobbs, Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from Beckstoffer Las Piedras at the foot of Spring Mountain in St. Helena. Power and precision align in this exceptional Cabernet from Paul Hobbs. Beautifully pure black fruit, minerality, and heady high-toned cedar spices all lead to a full-bodied palate with fruit as dark as night. Nuances of dried violets, black olives, and wild thyme and rosemary accompany a wealth of palate-etching tannins and fine-boned acid structure. Click to see full details | |
| Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, SLV, Stags Leap District | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | The 2020 SLV (a.k.a. the Stag's Leap Vineyard) was planted in 1970 and earned international acclaim after the site's three-year-old vines produced the wine that earned top honours at the 1976 Paris Tasting. Today, it's producing a beautiful wine with impressive depth and clarity. Fragrant floral notes and crushed, ripe blackberries and black cherry notes pave the way for a full-bodied, richly-layered 100% Cabernet that spent 21 months in 100% new French oak. For all that time in brand-new barrels, the balance and integration of tannin are impressive. Very long, supple beams of cedarwood tannins are woven around a tapestry of black and blue-toned fruits, and the wine remains light on its feet with energy and poise. Click to see full details | |
| Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, CASK 23, Stags Leap District | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | The 2020 Cask 23 blends 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes sourced from the best blocks within S.L.V and FAY vineyards. The wine is aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Effusive black fruit aromas laced with liquorice, cedar and pops of capsicum. Plush, silky and full-bodied with saturated black satiny fruits, unsmoked tobacco and ultrafine pixelated tannins tinged with sagebrush and balanced by excellent acid tension. Tightly wound, with coiled-up energy and one of the most well-built wines of the vintage with excellent cellar potential. Click to see full details | |
| Wappo Hill, Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 2020 | 96 | This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted by Boisset Collection's Stephanie Putnam. Incredibly fresh and vibrant with fragrant red florals and a beautiful streak of ironstone minerality framed by a dusty tannin backbone. Medium to full-bodied, balanced, and expressive of pure boysenberry fruit, tinged with baking spices and herbs. Complete and impressive. Sourced from a vineyard in east Yountville and one in Stag’s Leap District. Named for Wappo Hill, the present-day site of Jean Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo’s residence, but historically, the ancient apex of the Wappo Indian lands, and the name pays homage to their heritage. Aged 19 months in 100% French oak. 175 cases produced. Click to see full details | |
| Vine Hill Ranch, VHR, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 95 | The 2020 VHR achieves a dramatic balance of opulence and structure. Leading with plump dark fruit, fragrant brown spices, capsicum and bay laurel. Full-bodied with satiny black fruit framed by firm, present tannins that build on the finish. There’s a suede-like swagger about this one, downright muscular and deserving of a good decanting—a nice showing for the vintage. Harvested from Blocks 1, 3, 4, and 6, and all before September 25. Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville is owned by the Philips family, who have been growers since 1959 and is a source for such producers as Harlan’s BOND Estate, TOR Wines, Dadlla Valle’s DVO, and Colgin, among other esteemed Napa producers. The vineyard manager is Mike Wolf, and winemaker Françoise Peschon produces the VHR wine. Click to see full details | |
| B Cellars, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 95 | B Cellar works with nine different Oakville AVA Cabernet sites. Lovely dark berry fruits, dusty herbs, anise, and rose petal notes lead to a medium- to full-bodied wine offering more blackberry fruit on the palate, chocolate notes, and dusty iron minerality. Compact, tightly knit and a great effort for a challenging year. Winemaker Kirk Venge likes to ferment warm and, in this vintage aged the wine in 100% new French oak for 22 months. Bottled unfined, and unfiltered. Founded in 2003 by business partners Duffy Keys and Jim Borsack. Click to see full details | |
| Beringer, Private Reserve | Napa Valley | 2020 | 95 | The Private Reserve is both expressive and reticent and, with some time, could prove a stand-out of the vintage. A very classic Napa Cabernet nose of blackberry fruits, graphite, and cedarwood enriched with baking spice notes. Full-bodied with plump, satiny tannins and decadent layers of compact dark berry fruits, cassis, loamy earth, and gravel, with focused energy and a long mineral-driven finish. One to drink now and often over the next 7-10 years. Click to see full details | |
| Clos Pegase, Block 7, St Helena | Napa Valley | 2020 | 95 | Crafted by the talented Robin Akhurst, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 7 comes from Block 7 on the Milat Ranch in St. Helena. It was harvested relatively early in September, aged 16 months in 50% new French oak and is one of the most pleasure-packed, full-flavoured, delicious wines of the vintage. Pronounced blackberry and cherry fruits mingle with agave, dark chocolate, and decadent oak spices. Full-bodied, rich, and layered with satiny, plump tannins, the juicy dark-fruited profile meanders its way across the palate, picking up elegant wild herb and baking spices notes through a long currant-and high-toned floral-fueled finish. Just lovely. Click to see full details | |
| Gallica, St Helena | Napa Valley | 2020 | 95 | This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a site in St. Helena off Sulphur Creek, planted on Cortina-series soils. It is an intensely aromatic red with bright, high-toned raspberry, cherry, and blackberry fruit dusted with a fine layer of pulverised red minerals. Plush, full-bodied and showy, with satiny black and blueberry fruit, salted dark chocolate, graphite, and the sense of walking through a damp forest of conifer trees. Long, linear, and compact with tightly-knit tannins and coiled-up acidity, it's a lovely wine from a challenging vintage. Click to see full details | |
| Monticello Vineyards, Monticello Estate | Napa Valley | 2020 | 95 | The 2020 Monticello Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is a pleasure-packed, layered red with ample weight and structure, balanced by a remarkable lightness. Rich, savoury, and classically fashioned, leading with blackberry fruit aromas tinged with cedar spices, graphite, and wild herbs. Medium to full-bodied offering decadent inky black fruit and many of the same aromatic, savoury notes on the palate, along with black olive and tobacco leaf. Satiny fine-grained tannins are supported by a backbone of firm acidity, and the finish is long, refreshing and satisfying. 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. Aged 18 months in French Oak barrels. Click to see full details | |
| Pride Mountain Vineyards, Vintner Select Cuvee, | Napa Valley | 2020 | 95 | A dazzling bouquet of boysenberry and mulberry fruits, dusty wild herbs, black olive, white pepper, liquorice, and cedar wood. Quite beautiful on the palate with a medium-bodied feel, an undercurrent of tangy acid tension and a plethora of lovely floral flavours matched by pure ripe fruit notes of cherry, damson plum, and succulent blackberry. Long, lean, and structured with power and elegance—it strikes a real balletic chord making it a real standout this vintage. The winemaker for this wine was Sally Johnson Blum. Today, Philippe Melka's protege Matt Ward is in charge, joining in the fall of 2022. Click to see full details | |
| Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Artemis, Stags Leap District | Napa Valley | 2020 | 95 | The 2020 Artemis is a blend of Cabernet grapes sourced from growers in Napa's Atlas Peak District, Arcadia Vineyard in Coombsville, Battuello Vineyard in St. Helena, Rancho Chimiles in Wooden Valley. It includes some grapes from S.L.V. and FAY vineyards. This is about as fresh, pure, and classic as Napa Cabernet comes. Lavish aromas of ripe blackberry, blueberry and black cherry fruit just lift from the glass tinged with cedar, cassis and pipe tobacco. Plush and fruit-forward with cascading waves of blueberries, graham cracker crust, and candied violets that wash over the palate, buoyed by supple, long, satiny tannins and rounded acidity. Emerging loamy earth, coffee beans, and herbs on a long finish. Downright delicious. Click to see full details | |
| The Setting, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 95 | The Setting is a partnership between winemaker Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars and the Cova and McMahon families. This 100% Cabernet is sourced from the Skellenger Vineyard in Oakville and was aged 24 months in Seguin Moreau and Taransaud barrels. Opaque ruby in the glass, showing a good bit of restraint which relaxes with some aeration to reveal pretty dark black fruit, scorched herbs, coffee beans, and rich cedar spices. Full-bodied, with absolute power and intensity, running the full spectrum of black, red, and blue fruit notes framed by massive sculpted tannins. Pure power. Don't think of popping corks until 2024. Click to see full details | |
| Arietta | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | The 2020 Arietta is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from a small block within the Meteor Vineyard in the Coombsville AVA. Winemaker Andy Erickson has crafted a full-bodied, dense, and pleasure-packed wine that offers a powerful bouquet of blackberry fruit dusted with cinnamon spices, tobacco, cedarwood, and mint. On the palate, saturated black fruits mingle with heady cigar box, earth, and a mineral edge that calls to mind the scent of a cast iron pan. Blood orange acidity segues to a mocha-rich finish. Aged 20 months in 75% new French oak barrels. Just 208 cases were produced. Click to see full details | |
| Arkenstone Godward Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | Sumptuous aromas of blueberries, violets, creme de cassis, and mocha. Plush, full-bodied with hedonistic dark fruits, ripe, fine-grained tannins, loamy earth, chocolate, and salty crushed stone minerals. Winemaker Sam Kaplan sourced fruit from Godward Vineyard, one of the northernmost vineyards in Calistoga, before edging into the Chalk Hill AVA (a source for Mending Wall, Sterling, and Girard). Click to see full details | |
| Beaulieu Vineyard, Rutherford Reserve | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | The Rutherford Reserve leads with black fruits, toffee and oak spices. Full-bodied with ripe sweet blackberry and black cherry notes, building tannins that are a bit granular. The wine has plenty of grip and is built on 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% Petit Verdot, aged 21 months in 80% new French oak. It is nicely balanced with a pH of 3.64 and is one not easy to put down. Click to see full details | |
| Beaulieu Vineyard, Georges de Latour Private Reserve, Rutherford | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | The flagship wine of Beaulieu Vineyard in 2020, the grapes for this cuvee were harvested nearly a full month earlier than the previous vintage, which makes sense given the warm, hot growing season. Nevertheless, it's a classic, tightly knit, broad-shouldered, detail-driven Cabernet offering up expressive red berry fruit, forest floor, graphite, and cedar on the nose. Full-bodied with long beams of sappy angular tannins that will thread together with time in the bottle. One of the more savoury expressions of BV in some years, revealing pops of liquorice, black olive, cast iron and pulverised minerals through a long finish. Comprised of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot. 24 months in 95% new French oak. Click to see full details | |
| Black Stallion, Collector Edition, Rutherford | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | Only the third vintage Black Stallion has bottled from the Rutherford AVA, and it's a savoury, pleasure-packed gem of the vintage. Gorgeous capsicum and dusty red cherry aromas tinged with vanilla and cedar. Medium to full-bodied with lovely boysenberry, spiced plum, red currants, tobacco, leather, and precise, fine-grained tannins. Long, lingering, spicy, and mineral-driven. Enjoy at cellar temperature. Click to see full details | |
| Black Stallion, Gaspare Vineyard, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | From the Gaspare Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, this is an opulent Napa Cabernet. A nice showing in a challenging vintage. Alluring aromas of pure black fruits, herbs, oak and baking spices. Full-bodied with saturated black fruits redolent of blackberry jam and black currant, with potent tannins, and a long, kirsch-driven finish. Click to see full details | |
| Crosby Roamann, Harmony School Vineyard | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | Native yeast fermented and aged 22 months in one-third new French oak, just 149 cases produced. One of the more brooding, muscular wines of the vintage, revealing a wealth of dried violets, liquorice, creme-de-mint, and charcuterie. Full-bodied and beautifully present with a purity of red and black fruits, intense mid-palate richness with liquorice laced with tobacco and big, brawny tannins with immense power and grip and coiled-up energy. It needs time to unwind. Juliana and Sean McBride debuted their label in 2006 and produced their wines from a warehouse in the Crusher District of Napa Valley. Click to see full details | |
| Dalla Valle Vineyards, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | Absolutely riveting with immense purity of dark black fruits, sagebrush, sandalwood and purple florals dusted with cinnamon. Full-bodied with concentrated satiny black fruits laced with wild herbs, cedar wood and tobacco. Gorgeously crisp tannins are finely grained, and the finish is long and punctuated by graphite and cassis. One of the most gratifying wines of the vintage from second-generation winemaker Maya Dalla Valle. Her parents, Naoko and Gustav, produced their first vintage of estate Cabernet in 1986. As Maya discovered her passion for the family business, she honed her skills by working at such places as Ornellaia, Bodegas Rolland, Petrus, and Chateau Latour. She was named winemaker of her family estate in 2021. Click to see full details | |
| Davies Vineyards, J. Davies Estate, Diamond Mountain | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | From the Davies family, proprietors of Schramsberg, comes this 100% Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the southernmost vineyards in the AVA, flanked by Nash Creek to the north and Ritchie Creek to the south. Yields were small, and the resulting wine is layered and precise. Harmonious aromas of intensely ripe blackberries, spiced plums, and dark chocolate abound, while the full-bodied palate gives way to blackberries, Jamaican rum cake, and currants. The long, concentrated finish is redolent of mulled spices, fragrant wild herbs, and cedar. For all its decadence from ageing 22 months in 58% new French oak, a buoyancy and freshness make this wholly inviting. Click to see full details | |
| Fisher Vineyards, Coach Insignia, | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | A selection of Cabernet grapes from Fisher Vineyards' Calistoga Estate, situated at the base of the Palisades mountain range, from vines grown on an alluvial fan near Simmons Creek, a stone's throw from Venge and Eisele Vineyard. Intensely powerful with lacy red and black fruit, heady dark fruit aromatics, and a silky satiny profile. Full-bodied, with perfectly ripe blackberry fruit balanced by savoury thyme and sage notes, black tea tannins and a long finish marked by thin layers of salted dark chocolate, wildflowers, and cedar spices. A real standout with nice upfront appeal and ample structure to cellar. Click to see full details | |
| Frog's Leap, Rutherford | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | From the iconic Frog's Leap winery's dry-farmed estate in Rutherford, aged 20 months in 5-year-old oak barrels. Absolutely beautiful aromas of dried thyme, sage, fennel, spearmint, and savoury black olive notes. Medium-bodied with the rustic, dusty tannins you'd expect from these Rutherford vines with a harmonious display of brambly cranberry, raspberry, and black cherry laced with vanilla and tobacco spices. Just lovely. Click to see full details | |
| Grgich Hills Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | Winemaker Mike Grgich turned 100 on April 1, 2023. That's no April Fool's joke. It would be almost unthinkable that even in a challenging vintage, after innumerable challenging vintages, that Miljenko Grgich, the immigrant from Croatia who crafted the Chardonnay that took top honours at the 1976 Paris Tasting, would not bottle a wine in 2020. It's a good thing he did. Grgich's 2020 Napa Cabernet is a bright, energetic, savoury-styled Napa classic. Its effusive black fruits and spearmint aromas give way to a medium to full-bodied red with a dusty tannin backbone framed by almost electric acidity. This impressive, tightly-knit, lovely structured Cabernet will prove a standout of the vintage. Click to see full details | |
| Groth, Oakcross Proprietary Red, Oakville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | The Oakcross Proprietary red is a complex, juicy, structured Cabernet and embodies that iron fist in the velvet glove style. Expressive blueberry and black cherry fruit are intertwined with cedarwood, dusty minerals, sagebrush, and loamy soil. Voluminous on entry, with upfront crystalline red berry fruits and chalky, powdery tannins underscored by tart acidity, resolving with more layers of blueberry fruit, baking spices, warm soil, and toasty oak. The 2020 vintage comes from Reserve blocks off Groth’s Oakville estate, including Merlot from Hillview Vineyard and Petit Verdot from select grower partners. Aged in 70% new French oak for 21 months. Click to see full details | |
| Heimark Vineyard, Calistoga | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | The 2020 Heimark Vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon leads with alluring purple florals, sage, black fruit and earthy minerality, all of which follows through on the full-bodied palate in plush waves. Precise, building tannins are framed by fine-boned acidity. A long finish reveals fragrant dried florals, crushed cocoa nibs, and a refreshing flamed orange peel note. They were crafted by consultant winemaker Françoise Peschon who also makes wine for Vine Hill Ranch, Drinkward Peschon, Matt Morris Wines, and Cornell Vineyards. Click to see full details | |
| Inglenook, Rubicon, Rutherford | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | Alluring black cherry fruit intermixed with cassis and sandalwood. Full-bodied and juicy on the attack, showing its striking acid tension before unspooling layers of succulent black-toned fruits, crushed cocoa nibs, espresso bean, and a fine dusty tannin backbone with a long, savoury herb finish. Rubicon is Inglnook's blend of their best blocks of grapes, which in 2020 included Gio Vineyard, which was ripe and ready for harvest as early as 22 August, as well as Cohn, Lower Garden, Creek, and Apple block on Pritchard Hill, all concluded by 19 Septemeber, well before the Glass Fire and crafted by the dynamic duo of Philippe Bascaules, Director of Winemaking and Chris Phelps. Click to see full details | |
| Paul Hobbs, Coombsville | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | From Paul Hobbs, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is aged 20 months in 71% new French oak. The nose is pure, fresh, and inviting, with dark black fruits and cedar-rich spices. On the palate, silken waves of saturated purple-black fruits are intermixed with a panoply of dried herbs, while prominent acidity creates balance and tension. At this stage, in 2023, this wine is so much mouthfeel and tension that it will be one to hold and try in 2024, then enjoy over the next couple of decades. Click to see full details | |
| Salvestrin, Dr Crane Vineyard, St Helena | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | From owners Rich and Shannon Salvestrin and winemaker, Natalie Winkler comes this fashionable and dark-toned Dr Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Heady black fruit aromatics are charged with wet river stone, pulverised rock minerality, sagebrush, and cigar box. Full-bodied with enticing boysenberry and black cherry notes atop massive beams of fine-grained tannins. Long, powerful, and totally pleasing. Click to see full details | |
| Seven Apart, Expedition | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | The Expedition from Seven Apart is the only Cabernet Sauvignon this estate produced in 2020. It is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot sourced entirely from the winery’s Base Camp Vineyard in Oak Knoll. It was crafted by Andy Erickson of Favia fame. A very brooding, dark-fruited, muscular Cabernet with toffee and toasty oak spices. Full-bodied with ripe satiny black and blue fruits, spiced plums, crushed wild herbs, and robust, building tannins that need time to resolve. With the 2023 vintage, winemaker Morgan Maureze will take over for Erickson, who is trimming down his consulting clients to focus on his new Favia Oakville project. Click to see full details | |
| Spottswoode, Lyndenhurst | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | 2020 Lyndenhurst Produced by Spottswoodee. NV CS 13.6% // Civic Ruby colour with loads of savoury cedar spices, cinnamon and tobacco brown baking spices and red-toned fruits. Supple on entry with plump red berry fruit, tangy blood orange acidity under a bed of tobacco leaves, fragrant wild herbs, milk chocolate shavings and a kiss of anise. There is telltale crushed stone minerality, and the wine finishes long and lean with plenty of energy and drive. The tannins are burly with good grip. And the wine is generally light on its feet. Click to see full details | |
| Stags' Leap, The Leap, Stags Leap District | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | Fragrant dried thyme and mulberry notes with red liquorice, toasted coconut and iron shavings. Full-bodied with a real purity of blackberry fruit and mixed-berry compote. A dusty tannin backbone and a long mineral finish underscore the satiny fruit profile. Click to see full details | |
| Sullivan Rutherford Estate, J.O. Sullivan Founder's Reserve, Rutherford | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | The 2020 J.O. Sullivan Founder's Reserve Cabernet from Rutherford combines 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with 13% Petite Verdot, aged 22 months, in 100% new French Oak. High-toned dried floral and red berry fruit notes are laced with toffee and cedar. Full, soft, and supple with gentle acidity and brawny, muscular tannins that cling to all corners of the palate, eventually giving way to black fruits threaded with notes of spearmint and dark chocolate. A great effort by winemaker Jeff Cole in a challenging year. Click to see full details | |
| Whitehall Lane, Leonardini Estate | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from two of Whitehall Lane's six estate vineyards, one in Rutherford and one in St. Helena, aged 26 months in 70% new French oak and crafted by Jason Moulton. Incredibly fresh and vibrant. Pretty violet florals leap from the glass, accompanied by blackberry and blueberry fruits along with rich, toasty oak notes. Plush, full-bodied and deeply layered with ripe black and blue fruits atop a bed of pixelated tannins and round, lacy acidity. Compact, tightly knit with a long, expressive finish marketed by gravelly minerals and salted dark chocolate notes. Click to see full details | |
| Whitehall Lane, Millennium MM Vineyard, Rutherford | Napa Valley | 2020 | 94 | Winemaker Jason Moulton has aged this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Millennium MM Vineyard in Rutherford in 75% new French oak barrels for 26 months, bottled unfined and unfiltered. Powerful and pronounced aromas of blackberry fruits, toasty oak spices, and violets. Full-bodied with ripe, sweet blueberry and blackberry fruit, chewy, dusty tannins and racy acidity and a plethora of graham cracker crust and pie spice notes on the long, floral-driven finish. A complete package here. Click to see full details |