Napa Valley
Ripe fruit, polished tannins and ageing potential shape many of its leading reds.
Terroirs, appellations and label clues
Napa Valley is a Californian AVA with smaller AVAs such as Oakville and Rutherford. An AVA locates grapes; it does not rank quality or require one grape. Compare the same variety and year before judging a subregion.
To get started
Compare Cabernet Sauvignon from two producers before drawing conclusions about the valley’s style.
Key grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon — Structure, blackcurrant and ageing potential. Compare a young Cabernet with a mature one: tannins soften while fruit aromas can evolve.
Compare regions
Compare regions in the same country too: the same grape can produce different wines as climate, site and producer choices change.
Style descriptions are guides, not rules: vintage, vineyard, blending and maturation change the result.
