Napa Cult Cab Compared: Screaming Eagle vs Harlan vs Bond vs Promontory
Side-by-side comparison of Napa Valley cult Cabernets at auction from 2021–2026. Find which cult wine delivers the best appreciation and liquidity.
Napa's cult Cabernets have proliferated — from the original two (Screaming Eagle and Harlan) to a growing roster of $500+ bottles. Which is actually worth the price?
This comparison covers 1 producers across 1,000 auction lots. Harlan Estate commands the highest average prices at $1,069 per bottle.
Producer Comparison
Average hammer prices per bottle across all vintages, 2021–2025. Lot counts indicate auction liquidity — higher is easier to trade.
Harlan Estate
$1,069
avg / bottle
1,000 lots sold
Year-by-Year Price Comparison
The table below tracks each producer's average price per bottle by year, making it possible to identify which domaines appreciated most during different market conditions. Looking at the most recent year of data: Harlan Estate rose 25% in 2026.
| Producer | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total Lots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Estate | $388 | $750 | $570 | $570 | $541 | $642 | $677 | $701 | $705 | $842 | $1,040 | $1,072 | $1,132 | $1,310 | $1,094 | $1,365 | 1,000 |
Individual Wine Performance
Drilling down to individual wines reveals which specific cuvées and vintages have driven each producer's overall appreciation — and which have lagged. CAGR is calculated from the first year each wine appeared at auction to the most recent.
| Wine | Vintage | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Lots | CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screaming Eagle, Sauvignon Blanc, Oakville | 2010 | — | — | — | — | $20,000 | 1 | — |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 1992 | — | — | — | — | $9,500 | 2 | — |
| Screaming Eagle, Second Flight 2006-2009 Assortment, Oakville | 2006 | — | $625 | $600 | $2,250 | $4,650 | 22 | 95.2% |
| Screaming Eagle, Second Flight 2006-2009 Assortment, Oakville | 2011 | $700 | $644 | $540 | $483 | $3,333 | 69 | 47.7% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2017 | — | — | $5,486 | — | $3,250 | 10 | -23.0% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2010 | $4,017 | — | $2,901 | $2,438 | $2,648 | 14 | -9.9% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2007 | $3,516 | $3,958 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $2,571 | 22 | -5.4% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2012 | $3,101 | $3,850 | — | $2,582 | $2,406 | 23 | -6.4% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2001 | $3,555 | — | — | — | $2,355 | 5 | -6.8% |
| Screaming Eagle, Second Flight 2006-2009 Assortment, Oakville | 2010 | $675 | $681 | $538 | $567 | $2,308 | 87 | -8.5% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2015 | $3,776 | $3,671 | $3,406 | $4,125 | $2,294 | 34 | -10.7% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2016 | $3,233 | $4,396 | $2,587 | $2,167 | $2,240 | 41 | -8.6% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 1999 | $3,381 | $2,958 | $2,502 | — | $2,200 | 10 | -10.0% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2002 | $3,192 | $3,178 | — | $2,167 | — | 10 | -6.1% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2009 | $3,625 | $3,213 | — | — | $2,138 | 7 | -5.9% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2011 | $3,150 | $2,835 | — | $2,321 | $2,058 | 13 | -10.5% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2013 | $2,909 | $3,405 | — | — | $2,050 | 16 | -5.7% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2021 | — | — | — | $2,118 | $2,023 | 28 | -8.7% |
| Harlan Estate, Napa Valley | 1990 | — | — | — | $2,700 | $2,014 | 9 | 29.1% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2004 | $2,928 | — | — | $2,028 | $2,000 | 10 | -4.4% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2003 | — | — | $2,200 | $2,200 | $2,000 | 6 | 0.0% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2006 | $2,667 | — | $2,167 | $2,075 | $1,995 | 10 | -4.1% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2018 | $2,977 | $3,090 | $2,521 | $2,899 | $1,994 | 46 | -8.1% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2020 | — | — | $2,354 | $2,047 | $1,933 | 29 | -9.4% |
| Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | 2019 | — | $2,873 | $2,890 | $1,931 | $1,924 | 39 | -8.7% |
Prices are average hammer prices per bottle. Wines with fewer than 3 lots may show volatile averages.
Key Takeaways
- →Most liquid:: Harlan Estate has the highest lot count (1,000 lots), making it the easiest to trade if you need to exit a position quickly.
- →Strongest recent momentum:: Harlan Estate showed the largest year-on-year price increase (+25%) — a sign of accelerating collector interest.
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