Oakville

California · United States · Wine Auction Prices

Oakville is Napa Valley's most prestigious sub-appellation and the source of California's most valuable auction wines. The one-mile-wide benchland stretching east from Yountville contains To Kalon Vineyard — the most historically significant site in American viticulture — along with the estate vineyards of Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, Opus One, and Groth. With 5,200+ lots at auction, Oakville commands the highest average prices of any California appellation. Screaming Eagle's seven acres of Cabernet, replanted in 1990 and 1994, have produced California's most coveted wine since the debut vintage; allocation prices start at $1,000 and secondary-market prices average $4,000+ per bottle. Harlan Estate's seven-hectare vineyard on the Mayacamas foothills produces structured, age-worthy Cabernet that trades at $800–2,000. Oakville's unique combination of deep gravelly alluvial soils, morning shade from the western ridgeline, and afternoon warmth produces Cabernet Sauvignon of unequaled richness and structure.

Oakville

To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, originally planted by Hamilton Walker Crabb in 1868, is the most productive Cabernet Sauvignon terroir in Napa Valley; it supplies grapes to Harlan Estate, Opus One, Robert Mondavi Reserve, and BOND — more top-tier Cabernets than any single vineyard outside Bordeaux.

Screaming Eagle, from just 57 acres planted by Jean Phillips in 1990, produced its first commercial vintage in 1992; the 1992 Screaming Eagle sold for $500,000 for a six-liter bottle at Napa charity auction in 2000, establishing the cult Cabernet era.

Harlan Estate's seven-hectare vineyard, planted on hillside benchland at 300–600 feet above the valley floor, produces structured Cabernet Sauvignon that William Harlan designed to age 25–50 years — a rare commitment in California winemaking.

Oakville's alluvial soils — deep gravelly loam carried down from the Mayacamas range — drain rapidly, force vine roots 6+ feet deep, and provide excellent heat retention, producing naturally lower yields (2–4 tons/acre) than valley-floor sites without irrigation.

$450

Avg Price / Bottle

5,195

Auction Lots

2013

Top Vintage

$1 – $14.8k

Price Range

In the Glass

Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is California's most complete: blackcurrant, graphite, dark plum, and cedar, with a seamless integration of oak that distinguishes the best producers from anywhere in Napa. The tannins are velvet-fine in top examples, with a mid-palate concentration and length that can sustain 25+ years of aging. Screaming Eagle is more opulent and layered; Harlan is more structured and austere; Opus One blends precision with accessibility.

Red White

Red Wines

Wine	Avg Price	Lots Sold
Joseph Phelps Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon	$186	623
Groth Cabernet Sauvignon	$87	303
Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon	$189	264
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon	$2,680	146
Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve	$223	138
Realm Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon	$262	133
Rudd Estate Red	$143	107
Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon	$124	102
Robert Mondavi Winery The Estates Cabernet Sauvignon	$52	87
Mondavi To Kalon Vineyard The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon	$134	85
Detert Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc	$193	83
Venge Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve	$160	49
Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon	$68	43
Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon	$363	42
Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Vineyard Monastery Block Cabernet Sauvignon	$392	40
Gargiulo Vineyards 575 OVX Estate Vineyard G Major Seven Study Cabernet Sauvignon	$105	39
Gargiulo Vineyards 575 OVX Cabernet Sauvignon	$132	34
Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon	$100	32
Macdonald Cabernet Sauvignon	$660	31

White Wines

Wine	Avg Price	Lots Sold
Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc	$2,992	54

Top Producers

Joseph Phelps Screaming Eagle Robert Mondavi Rudd Realm Cellars Groth Far Niente Robert Mondavi Winery

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