Notable wines are matched to each season's weather and the appellation only. Warmer seasons (growing degree days above the 1991 to 2020 median) point to mountain appellations, cooler or moderate seasons to valley appellations, and only wineries that existed that year are considered. Wine Spectator, Robert Parker and Wine Enthusiast scores and awards, and the 1976 Judgment of Paris, are listed under "For reference" and do not decide which wines appear. Vintage Ratings for 1997 to 2024, shown for reference, are from the Wine Enthusiast vintage chart for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (dots: 94+ five, 90 to 93 four, 87 to 89 three, 83 to 86 two). Earlier years are editorial impressions, not published scores, and summaries are compiled from general wine history. Check Napa Valley Vintners and Wine Spectator before buying or cellaring.
* Drinking windows are a general guide derived from each rating and how warm the season ran, not dates from a critic or the winery.
† Cabernet Sauvignon tons and average price per ton are Napa County totals from the county Agricultural Crop Reports (prices from the USDA Grape Crush Report). Years without a figure are blank. 2025 price is the Crush Report average; 2025 tons (about 77,000) are a broker estimate. 2026 and 2027 are projections: price continues the 2023 to 2025 decline of about 2.5% a year, and tons follow the five-year average with a 1% yearly drift down. They are estimates, not reported figures.