Napa Valley red wines are led, overwhelmingly, by Cabernet Sauvignon — it accounts for just over half of all the grapes planted in the valley and defines its global reputation — but the region makes far more than Cabernet alone. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec fill out its Bordeaux-style blends; Zinfandel, Syrah, and Petite Sirah carry an older, more rustic California tradition; and Pinot Noir thrives in the cool southern edge of the valley. Reds make up roughly four-fifths of Napa's plantings, so understanding them is, in large part, understanding Napa itself. Here is a guide to what fills the glass, and why.
Cabernet Sauvignon: The King
Cabernet Sauvignon is Napa Valley's signature grape and its most celebrated wine, making up just over half of the valley's vineyard acreage. It gives a full-bodied, deeply colored, structured red built around cassis, blackberry, and black cherry, with cedar, tobacco, and — from oak aging — vanilla and spice. Napa's warm days and cool nights ripen it fully while keeping it balanced, and its firm tannins let it age for years or decades. If you drink one red from Napa, it will almost certainly be this. We explore its distinctiveness in depth in what makes Napa Cabernet special.
The Bordeaux blending grapes
Cabernet in Napa is often blended, in the Bordeaux tradition, with a supporting cast of grapes that round out and complete it:
Merlot — Softer and plusher than Cabernet, with plum and black cherry. It adds flesh and approachability, and Napa makes excellent varietal Merlot in its own right.
Cabernet Franc — The aromatic parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, bringing red fruit, violet, and a savory, herbal lift.
Petit Verdot — A small addition that deepens color and adds firm structure and dark, floral intensity.
Malbec — Contributes plush dark fruit and a touch of rustic spice.
A Napa red blending several of these — sometimes called a Bordeaux-style or "red blend" — can be as serious and age worthy as any straight Cabernet.
The California originals: Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah
Before Cabernet's rise, Napa grew a good deal of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, and both still have a devoted place. Zinfandel gives a bold, brambly, spicy red with jammy dark fruit, especially good from the valley's warmer pockets. Syrah offers dark fruit, pepper, and a savory, meaty depth. Petite Sirah — no relation to Syrah in the usual sense — makes an inky, powerfully tannic wine beloved by those who like their reds big. These grapes carry a more traditional, rustic thread of Napa's history.
Pinot Noir: the cool-climate exception
Pinot Noir is a red, but a delicate one, and it belongs to Napa's cool southern end — chiefly the Los Carneros region near the bay, where fog and breezes keep temperatures down. Light-bodied, silky, and driven by red cherry and earth, it is the opposite of Cabernet in nearly every way, and it is often grown as much for sparkling wine as for still. If you love Pinot's finesse, look south.
Finding your Napa Red
Choose by weight and mood. For power, structure, and cellar-worthiness, Cabernet Sauvignon or a Bordeaux blend. For softer, rounder drinking, Merlot. For bold and spicy, Zinfandel or Petite Sirah. For light and aromatic, Pinot Noir. Most red drinkers find their way to Cabernet eventually, because it is where the valley speaks most clearly. To begin with ours, look here: our Cabernet.
