Napa's Most Wanted Wines of 2025 - Beaulieu Vineyard
By: Nat Sellers
Ready the full article here.
When it comes to Napa's most wanted wines, it really is just a sea of big red Bordeaux blends and even bigger names.
All the big shots are there from Opus One to Screaming Eagle – there is very little in terms of surprise. In fact, it has about as much surprise as an early learning ABC book.
The only possible plot-twists are really what hasn't made it onto the list, when really they ought to be there too.
Names like Promontory and Scarecrow unfortunately didn't quite make the cut – placing eleventh and twelfth respectively – however, we're sure – at $900 plus a bottle – their sorrows will be short-lived.
So what has made this year's list? The top ten are made up of five Bordeaux blends, four Cabernet Sauvignons and one Chardonnay – a loose mash-up of the noble grapes of both Bordeaux and Burgundy – making Napa a funny hybrid of those two great regions.
That is the beauty of the New World, less fettered by antiquated systems and bygone rules. Although those rules eventually come as the new inevitably morphs into the old. At over 180 year olds, the Napa Valley is well and truly an adult in the wine industry, however, it is still relatively unbound by rules.
Of course, there are some regulations, namely a wine varietally labeled must contain at least 75 percent of that variety, and the same applies if it's labeled by appellation, except 85 percent must be from that AVA. For a vintage wine made from a particular appellation, 95 percent of the grapes must be from what's specified.
However, barring these unerringly sensible rules, very little limits Napa in terms of what they can grow. Unlike Bordeaux which allows for roughly 15 – give or take – grape varieties (although this does change as new varieties get added) and Burgundy around eight, Napa has pretty much full license to plant whatever wherever, with more than 36 grape varieties planted throughout the valley.
Which means the region can really cherry pick the grape varieties that work best, honing in on Bordeaux's classic Cabernet Sauvignon, and Burgundy's Chardonnay.
Although – for all the potential diversity – Napa is, as this list bears, relatively monolithic in what it champions, for all the potential freedom, the region's most wanted are a homage to homogeneity.
Napa Valley, USA
$466
95 / 100
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, USA
$3,834
97 / 100
Dominus Estate Christian Moueix
Napa Valley, USA
$366
96 / 100
Napa Valley, USA
$1,567
97 / 100
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, USA
$90
91 / 100
Napa Valley, USA
$331
94 / 100
Robert Mondavi Winery Napa Valley Chardonnay
California, USA
$32
87 / 100
Beaulieu Vineyard BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, USA
$164
94 / 100
Silver Oak Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
California, USA
$188
91 / 100
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, USA
$238
93 / 100
Number one, fittingly, is Opus One. The premium Bordeaux-blend from Bordeaux's Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Napa Valley legend, Robert Mondavi comes in at $466 with an aggregated critic score of 95 points.
Number two is Screaming Eagle, naturally, with their Cabernet Sauvignon. Both expensive and exalted in equal measure, the big bird has an impressive score of 97 points, but it also screeches in as $3842.
Three is Dominus Estate and their Christian Moueix – named after the owner – which has gone on to achieve cult status. The Bordeaux blend is largely Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc thrown in the mix. With an impressive score of 96 points, it's almost reasonably priced – for Napa – at $361.
Four is grand old Harlan Estate – founder Bill Harlan already has the winery's 200-year old plan mapped out. Their flagship wine is again mostly Cabernet Sauvignon-based and has long been one of California's most sought after. With a critic score of 97 points, Harlan Estate comes in at $1570.
Five is the Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa's Rutherford. The family-owned winery embraces the New World with their bold fruit-forward wines, and their Cabernet Sauvignon has won plenty of fans along the way, garnering a critic score of 91 points.
It is also ridiculously well-priced, currently averaging around $90. For Napa Cabernet, that's out of this world.
Six is Joseph Phelps with their flagship Insignia. The estate was established in 1973 by Joseph Phelps after a career in construction with Insignia released just a year later.
This complex Bordeaux blend – made up predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon with dashes of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec – is a consistent hit with the critics, scoring 94 points, coming in at $329.
Number seven is the Robert Mondavi Winery Napa Valley Chardonnay, the only white to make this list. Mondavi has built a sizeable reputation since the estate's founding in 1966 and is widely credited with reinvigorating the Californian wine industry.
Today, they make a wide range of wines, but their Chardonnay – with an aggregated critic score of 87 points – boasts excellent value at an average price of $30.
Eight is the Beaulieu Vineyard BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Beaulieu Vineyard has been producing wine since before Prohibition, during which, it kept production going in the form of sacramental wine for the various churches.
Today, however, their Georges de Latour – named after their founder – is a pure hand-picked Cabernet Sauvignon which repeatedly scores well with the critics at 94 points. It's also – in the world of Napa – extremely reasonably well-priced at $162.
Number nine is the Silver Oak Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. With only a handful of wines in its stable, Silver Oak Cellars has built its considerable reputation on its rich age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon.
Their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has a critic score of 94 points and, again for Napa, an easy $187.
Last, but absolutely not least, is a final Cabernet Sauvignon from Caymus Vineyards with their Special Selection. Only produced form the very best barrels in the very best years, the Special Selection is the estate's flagship wine.
With an aggregated critic score of 93 points, and a price point of $241, again this wine is a far cry from the extortionate pricing of Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Napa wine can and does sometimes cost the earth, but when it comes to what's on offer and what people want, it really is just great Cab at great prices. Easy as ABC.
