Cabernet sauvignon from California (especially Napa Valley) wasn’t always the most popular red wine in America. Having established its pedigree centuries ago as a foundation of Bordeaux, the grape began to be planted in Napa Valley in the late 1800s.

Following Prohibition, the quality of Napa cabernet gained increased attention. Then, in 1976, a Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet placed first at the “Judgement of Paris” and other Napa cabs showed well. The prestige of Napa cabernet has only grown in the decades since.

But over time, a trend evolved of overripe and over oaked wines, borderline sweet, with excessive weight, power and softness that mask terroir. The recommended wines below, listed in order of my preference, show harmony, balance, intensity with subtlety, nuances of mineral and earth, oak as a complement, and solid structure.

2022 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve ($180). Celebrated estate founded in 1900 came to international fame after renowned winemaker André Tchelistcheff joined in 1938; herbaceous, earthy accents, enticing red fruits and cedar

2021 Turnbull Oakville Reserve ($110) all estate winery; exceptional blend of select lots; impresses with mixed dark berries, loamy earth, fresh, velvety, powdery tannins, broad palate

2022 Chappellet Signature ($95) at the peak of Pritchard Hill,one of Napa’s finest wineries produces benchmark mountain grown wines; concentrated, abundant berry elements, cedar, cocoa, graphite, tobacco, oak spice, silky texture

2022 Revana Napa Valley ($125) Cabernet specialist; sourced from specially selected

estate vineyards; rich dark currant, tobacco, loamy soil, cocoa, texture shows a sense of airiness

2021 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley ($75) second Napa winery founded by a woman (1886); impressed at the Judgement of Paris; sourced from specially selected sites; dark fruits, cedar, oak spice, leather, well structured, rich texture

2021 Silver Oak Napa Valley ($165) founded in 1972 by Coloradan Ray Duncan and Christian Brothers winemaker Justin Meyer; deep, slightly sweet berries, licorice, aging in American oak adds signature coconut, supple texture

2022 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis ($75) grapes from select Napa vineyards combined with estate-grown fruit; pretty cherry, elegant structure, some richness

 2022 Sullivan Coeur de Vigne ($95) property dates to 1821 but winery was established in 1972 with planting guided by Andre Tchelistcheff; concentrated cherry, sage, plum, cassis, tobacco, cedar, velvety mouthfeel

2022 Stags’ Leap Winery ($65) grapes were first planted here in 1873; 100 years later the modern winery began production; lively, black and red berries, fresh powdery tannin