Napa Valley

USA · Wine Auction Prices

Napa Valley is California's most celebrated wine region and the epicentre of American fine wine at auction. The valley runs 50 kilometres from the cool San Pablo Bay in the south to the warmer inland north, with the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the Vaca Range to the east. This geography creates a 10°F temperature gradient between Carneros (coolest) and Calistoga (warmest) that allows growers to farm a remarkable range of wine styles within 180,000 hectares. Cabernet Sauvignon is king: Oakville, Rutherford, and Stags Leap District produce the region's most celebrated reds. Screaming Eagle, founded in 1992 on 23 acres of Oakville Cabernet, has become one of the world's most valuable wine brands by auction value — the 1992 inaugural vintage sold for $500,000 per bottle at charity auction. Harlan Estate, farming biodynamically on the western hillsides of Oakville, established the template for Napa cult Cabernet. Opus One, the joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild begun in 1979, gave Napa Valley its first internationally branded luxury wine. The 2013, 2016, and 2019 vintages are considered the modern benchmarks, combining Napa's characteristic richness with uncommon freshness and ageing potential.