Cabernet Sauvignon Reviews
Jeff Jenssen & Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, December 4, 2025
Drinking perfectly right now
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Brothers Stuart and Charles Smith purchased the land that would eventually become Smith Madrone Vineyards and Winery in 1971. Their 2021 Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking perfectly right now after four years. It is composed of 81.9 percent Cab, 17.7 percent Cab Franc, and just a touch of Merlot and offers aromas of black currant, blueberry, crushed violet petals, and cinnamon. Slightly grippy tannins coat the mouth with flavors of cassis, red currant, plum, and a touch of nutmeg in the finish.
Cooler weather and the holidays are upon us, so it’s time to get together with family and friends, ideally with a glass of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in hand. And while we’re not shy about our pursuit of the AVA’s cult Cabs, we also love a value when we see one; especially this time of year. Whether you’re the host cracking multiple bottles a night for your party, or you’re a frequent guest always showing up to fêtes with wine in hand, its nice to have some great options for wines to break out that don’t break the bank. Because, after all, those usually aren’t the occasions when you’ll be diving deep into the cellar, instead you want a great wine that delivers bang for your buck. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. Here are the 10 best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon under $100 to buy right now.
https://robbreport.com/food-drink/wine/lists/best-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon-under-100-dollars-2025-guide-1237391946/elizabeth-spencer-2019-rutherford-cabernet-sauvignon/
Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2024
Fabulous
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points: The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulous. Rich, deep and intensely savory, the 2019 is a delight. Inky dark fruit, espresso, chocolate, licorice, plum and dried herbs all saturate the palate. Floral notes extend the finish. This powerful Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon offers tons of character in a style that balances Napa Valley ripeness with mountain savoriness. It will appeal most to readers with classically leaning palates.
Martin Redmond, Enofylz Wine Blog, November 2, 2025
Harmonious and elegant
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Each week I spotlight a wine that captivates—whether for its distinctive character, fascinating story or sheer delight in the glass. This week’s feature: 2021 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that channels both the rugged beauty and timeless spirit of Spring Mountain.
In an era when so many Napa Cabernets seem crafted to court critics and justify lofty price tags, this one stands apart—authentic, grounded and made for those who value substance over show…Cabernet Sauvignon has always been Smith-Madrone’s flagship—a true mountain Cabernet that speaks of elevation, not extravagance. While many Napa Cabs have climbed in price, Smith-Madrone’s remains one of the Valley’s great values, delivering authenticity and age-worthy character without pretense or luxury pricing.
It pours a medium garnet hue with expansive hue with expansive aromas of cassis, black cherry, blueberry, leather, vanilla-spiced black licorice and a whisper of graphite. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, harmonious and elegant, framed by bright acidity and velvety, well-integrated tannins. Flavors of cassis, black cherry, blueberry, vanilla, licorice and a very appealing mineral notes unfold in layers, leading to a long finish.
Meg Maker, Maker's Table, October 2025
Truly an outstanding wine experience
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
This wine is not varietal but a blend of 86.5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5 percent Cabernet Franc, and 6 percent Merlot, all sourced from Smith-Madrone’s dry-farmed estate vineyard. One thousand cases were made. The robe is deep cherry with the faintest shimmer of auburn, and the perfume is intense, a potent mélange of juniper, pine, black fruits, red fruits. These themes continue in flavors of cherry and fennel with a velvety layer of soy-umami. The texture is like corduroy (I wrote “pettable”), and the acidity lavish and shimmery. In the finish there’s a flare of mint before the wine fades into savory darkness. This was truly an outstanding wine experience and, given the price of well-made Napa Cab, a terrific value; the 2021 vintage (the current release) will set you back just $65. I’m so glad I waited.
https://www.makerstable.com/p/notable-late-october-2025
James Melendez, October 28, 2025
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Luminous...expressive, nice texture, hint of violets....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIqxX6NPvC8
Decanter Magazine, October 2025
Chosen as one of 25 best value wines from the Napa Valley
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Decanter's Napa correspondent Jonathan Cristaldi does a lot of tasting each year, with the preponderance of it in the Napa Valley, a place known for its wines and their higher price tags. Here he offers readers a lengthy selection of more than 20 bottles that support the notion that the valley's signature reputation can still be had for an attainable price point.
What I can promise is this: I’ve tasted every wine on this list, rated it, and logged each one into Decanter’s online reviews. These are wines worth your attention – delicious, even enviable.
Because here’s the truth: finding excellent Napa Valley wine that travels beyond Napa, that you can drink now, and that costs under $75 a bottle, is no small feat.
But remember my caveat. These wines must: The wine must be available outside of Napa Valley. It must be excellent, more than a casual ‘sure, I’ll have a glass.’ These are bottles you’ll want to finish to the last drop. At least, I do. Napa Valley has around 475 physical wineries and over 1,000 brands, so a list of 25 is but a drop in the proverbial bucket.
Wallace Stevens found 13 ways of looking at a blackbird; I’ve found 25 Napa wines under $75 in the past six months that are as enticing as they sound.
Smith-Madrone 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
97 points. From brothers Stu and Charlie Smith comes their 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain, a precise blend of 81.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.7% Cabernet Franc, and 0.4% Petit Verdot. Aged for 18 months in 65% new French oak, with only 1,652 cases produced, this wine showcases the meticulous dry farming of their 15.4-hectare vineyard at a 579-metre elevation, with vines dating back to 1971. The 2021 vintage is yet another testament to their mastery, offering a purity and elegance that define these Cabernets, with impeccable structure for long-term cellaring. In 2021, the tannins are firm, soaring, built like sky-scrapers, yet remarkably well-integrated. The nose offers a beautiful black cherry and red currant potpourri, mingling with pressed wildflowers, sage, capsicum, and tobacco leaf. Juicy plum fruit intertwines with a graphite minerality, and while there’s notable density to the fruit, a fine backbone of crunchy acidity imparts a stunning lightness and lift. Readers seeking Napa Cabernets from the 2021 vintage with serious cellaring potential should consider stocking up on Smith Madrone's offerings, as these '21s are true cellar-worthy gems.
https://www.decanter.com/premium/mining-for-value-in-the-napa-valley-over-20-of-the-best-wines-for-under-75-566606/
Talk-A-Vino, Anatoli Levine, August 29, 2025
Textbook
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Smith-Madrone has two Cabernet Sauvignon wines in its portfolio - Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Cook's Flat Reserve, each one delicious in its own right. Both are textbook Cabernet Sauvignon wines - my textbook that is, as both perfectly demonstrate the exact flavors - cassis, eucalyptus, bell pepper, cedar box. Just thinking about those wines makes me smile.
https://talk-a-vino.com/2025/08/29/reminiscing-about-cabernet-sauvignon/
AttorneySomm, John Jackson, May 25, 2025
Top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon under $100
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
2021 Smith-Madrone Estate Cabernet reviewed at 4:01
Looking for top Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon under $100? These 2025 picks deliver serious quality without the triple-digit price tag! In this video, John Jackson, DipWSET a/k/a Attorney Somm, reveals the top Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines that sell for $45 to $99! These are all excellent examples of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that compare favorably to wines that sell for much higher price points. The 10 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines discussed herein are: 1. Clos du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2. Chappellet Signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 3. Smith-Madrone Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 4. Turnbull Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 5. Turnbull Oakville Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 6. Dominus Estate Napanook 7. Paul Hobbs Coombsville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 8. Venge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux 9. Blankiet Estate Prince of Music 10. Sinegal Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgmPBcnfkfY
Stephen McConnell, April 18, 2025
Smith-Madrone has done it again, probably the finest "bargain" Cab made in Napa Valley
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
My first *major* 21? Possibly, and at three, there's a lot of room here for polish and beauty over the next 20 years. Super ripe in the nose, with plentiful banana notes laid along dusty lines of black black cherry while pomegranate etchiness punctuates everything. Dark and sultry though. Not quite "impenetrable," but dark and thick with a rosy, thin clear rim. In the mouth, a spine-tingling acidity plays down into ratcheting tannin and dank earth, nearly obfuscating the generosity of the bouquet. As Spring Mountain--and this producer--SHOULD. I mean... There's a fair lineage here of stupidly-ageable cabs which also--somehow--manage to be fairly enjoyable in youth. Glassine and balanced with a bit of air, the fruit never letting go of abrasive, while charming points of berry and soil highlights infiltrate the ridiculous structure. It's a brick wall of tannin, but massaged into fullness hard to argue with. No surprise: Smith-Madrone has done it again. Probably the finest *bargain* cab made in Napa. Year after year. Get on the list. These are the bargains amid all the Napa price-point horror stories. Since 1971.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DIki_G2x6cf/
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, April 1, 2025
Just a classy, old-school styled beauty
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
92 points: This cuvee always has a Bordeaux like vibe, and the 2021 is no exception, revealing a semi-opaque ruby hue as well as classic Cabernet notes of darker currants, cedar pencil, green tobacco, and damp earth. Reminding me of the estate's 2016, it has a very classic, medium-bodied, balanced profile, ripe and integrated tannins, and outstanding length. It picks up more floral and rose petal notes with time in the glass and is just a classy, old-school styled beauty that grows on your with time in the glass. It should keep for two decades in cold cellars.
https://jebdunnuck.com/wines/744294/
Elaine Chukan Brown, Wine Enthusiast, May 2025
Aromatic and finessed...an impossible find for the price
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
97 points, Editor's Choice. This Cabernet exemplifies how the variety became so popular: classic, structural, aromatic and finessed. An impossible find for the price, it’s one to enjoy now for palate-cleansing
structure, or continue to age for deeper pleasure.
Jeff Kralik, The Drunken Cyclist, March 28, 2025
Outstanding
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
95 points: Outstanding. Under cork. It is time to call it what it is: Smith-Madrone wines are dumb. Yes. I said it. I have told both Stu and Charlie to their faces that what they are doing is dumb. They both laughed in their own way, but kind of gave me the "shut-up kid" look. What is so dumb? They regularly produce wines that punch well above the respective price, wines that not only demolish the price point, but challenge what it means to be from "Napa Valley." I have my own opinions as to why Smith-Madrone wines continue to be the best values in the Valley, but I will save that for another day. Today? This Cab is a wonder with great fruit (blackberry, raspberry, plum), an herbal aspect (anise, for sure and maybe sage), an earthy component (forest floor), and incredible balance. Yeah. While this would likely not "blow" many minds (it is no fruit-bomb, ridiculously rich Napa stereotype), it is a wonderfully balanced, food-friendly masterpiece, worthy of any table. Bravo.
https://thedrunkencyclist.com/2025/03/28/the-random-samples-3-28-2025/
Amateur Sommelier, Alec Termer, March 21, 2025
Representation of the greatness that a California Cabernet can be
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Robust and well crafted, this Cab is a representation of the greatness that a California Cabernet can be (without the 3 digit price tag). There is an aroma that fills the glass with blueberry, blackberry, dark ripe cherry, rosemary, some floral notes, and moist cedar. The taste evolves a little with blackberry, black cherry, blueberry, some plum, light tobacco, oak, and a little toasted vanilla in the aftertaste. This is a decently bold wine without being overly fruity. The fruit quickly blends well with the earthy and woody aspects, creating a well blended balance. There isn't a fight for center stage, but there is a moment where each individual aspect stands out. The after taste is long lasting, where everything starts to melt together, and the toasty vanilla starts to develop.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHbR6zlOz5s/?img_index=1
Oded Cohen, Odedi's Wine Reviews, March 14, 2025
Rich, elegant, not in your face kind of Napa Cabernet
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep purple in color with a wide reddish rim.
Nose of red and black fruits with cedar, licorice, tobacco leaf, herbs, cola, Mediterranean spices, light vegetables, earth, dark chocolates and black pepper.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cherries, cedar, licorice, toast, light vanilla, chocolates, tobacco, diet cola, herbs, coffee, vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 4-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is drinking very fresh and young. Fruit forward with lots of earth notes to complement it.
Rich, elegant and not in your face kind of Napa Cabernet. Spicy and tangy. Complex and interesting.
Showing a really nice nose, once it opened up, with lots of earth notes. Reminds me of a Left Bank Bordeaux. Delicious.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours in the decanter.
Needs more bottle time, and will continue to age nicely in the next 25 years.
I have had a few vintages of this wine, and it truly shines at 20 years of age.
A good sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a nice piece of steak. Paired really well with my Stilton Blue Cheese.
https://winesipping.wordpress.com/2025/03/14/smith-madrone-vineyards-spring-mountain-district-cabernet-sauvignon-2021-napa-valley-california-2/
BiggerThanYourHead, Fredric Koeppel, March 13, 2025
Sleek, profound and powerful
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep purple-ruby color, with a transparent magenta rim; heady scents of black currants and raspberries, violets and lavender, dusty graphite and bittersweet chocolate open to notes of black pepper, tapenade and oolong tea; savory elements of dried sage and thyme, with a hint of rosemary, reveal the influence of the wine’s mountainside origin; on the palate, the wine benefits from the structure provided by loamy tannins both velvety and granitic, from the supple and subtle oak framework and from vivid acidity that sets a course through to the wine’s resinous, foresty, graphite-flecked finish; a few minutes on, the wine unlocks its core of pepper, briers, espresso bean and blueberries; the entire effect is clean and sleek, profound and powerful. Open tonight with a medium-rare ribeye steak, hot and crusty from the grill, or drink from 2026 through 2036 to ‘40, properly stored. Excellent.
Brothers Stu and Charlie Smith planted their cabernet sauvignon vines in 1972, high atop Spring Mountain, 1,900 feet above Napa Valley and west of the town of St. Helena. They dry-farm — that means no irrigation — the 38 acres of vines that grow out of the volcano-based rocky soil; the hillsides are so steep that some areas slope at a perilous 35 degree pitch. The Smiths produce mainly cabernet sauvignon wines, with lesser amounts of riesling and chardonnay and a recently added rosé, and they don't make too damned much of any of it, to the regret of their fans, of whom I am one, as you may remember from previous reviews. Matters proceed in an old-fashioned style at Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery. There's no palatial facility or art museum and no high-tech tasting room, just a modest but clean and well-constructed wooden building that suits its purpose. In fact, "suiting the purpose" might be the motto at Smith-Madrone, a practical yet somehow visionary winery where no effort is wasteful, and no attempt is made to fit its products into the range of contemporary palates conditioned by over-ripe fruit and high alcohol. The Smith brothers have been making wine this way for 50 years. The cabernet sauvignon reviewed today is exemplary for their place, their region, their method and their grape varieties. And compared to most cabernet sauvignon wines of this quality from Napa Valley, they remain good value.
https://biggerthanyourhead.substack.com/p/smith-madrone-chardonnay-and-cabernet?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1856101&post_id=159008712&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=1fsgt&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Jon Fine, New Wine Review, March 4, 2025
Serious structured style
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Smith-Madrone Cabs are made in a serious, structured, and even stern style, and this is no exception. Excellent acidity, red and blue berry characteristics, and the tannins are very prominent at this early stage. Needs time to come together, but the scaffolding and building materials are definitely there. 82 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 17 percent Cabernet Franc, and a touch of Merlot.
https://www.newwinereview.com/what-to-drink/napa-cabernet-tasting-notes/
International Wine Review, Don Winkler, December 5, 2024
Excellent depth of fresh fruit flavor and firm acidity on a mouth filling palate
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points: Dark red. Spicy bouquet with black raspberry, cassis, tobacco and a touch of cedar. Excellent depth of fresh fruit flavor and firm acidity on a mouth filling palate. Lovely long finish with round tannins. This is a youthful wine so decanting is recommended; aging a couple of years in cellar is also a good idea
https://i-winereview.com/blog/index.php/2024/12/05/choice-california-cabernet-sauvignon-napa-paso-robles-santa-cruz-mountains/#more-10061
Planet Grape, Catherine Fallis, January 29, 2025
Rich, full flavored and smooth
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Rich, full-flavored and smooth, then chewy, gripping and dry with notes of boysenberry, blueberry, cedar, clove and Black Forest cake.
https://planetgrapewinereview.com/newworldwine_reviews/2021-smith-madrone-cabernet-sauvignon-spring-mountain-district-napa-valley/
Claude Kolm, The Fine Wine Review, January 22, 2025
Deep rich and flavorful
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
This wine is very much in line with the Napa Cabernets I recall from the 1970s. It is deep, rich, and flavorful, but balanced and not overly powerful or polished. There is quite a bit of new oak (65%), but it is not overwhelming and contributes to the slightly smoky aromas and flavors that go well with the dark berry fruits. Tannins here are not overpowering, and like the oak, the alcohol is not noticeable. This wine drinks well now, but also can age well.
https://thefinewinereview.substack.com/p/smith-madrone-spring-mountain-district
Owen Bargreen, January 25, 2025
Outstanding, the palate is refined and poised...generous and delicious now
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
They have a beautiful new Cabernet, the 2021 Smith-Madrone Cabernet, earthy and herbal with beautiful poise. This will age gracefully for at least another fifteen years. ...It is outstanding, a brilliant, well-structured new wine that is built to age. Once on the nose this takes on anise and milk chocolate tones with wet stone, fresh thyme and shades of black currant cordial that all meld in the glass. The palate is refined and poised with a great core of black fruit flavors. Generous and delicious now, watch this evolve over the next fifteen years. Drink 2025-2040- 93
https://owenbargreen.com/blog/2025/1/17/smith-madrone
ModernWine, Tim Teichgraeber, January 15, 2025
Mesmerizing....Respect
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points: If you're looking for a truly age-worthy Cab from Napa Valley at a reasonable price, seek out this gem from Spring Mountain. Yes, it is a little bit rustic in that it has a little bit of environmental herbaceousness (think madrone scrub, and not a bad thing for me tbh), and a good bit of rocky, mountain minerality. The oak is still integrating, but the cocktail of deep red and black fruit, anise, vanilla, toast, sage, and stone is mesmerizing. This is a refreshing departure from some of the often too decadent, over-polished, over-priced wines from Napa Valley bench. It's a resolute mountain wine with a critical point of view from the mountaintop, a wine from a very particular place atop Spring Mountain. I would love to try this again in 20 years. Respect.
https://modernwine.blogspot.com/2025/01/smith-madrone-2021-cabernet-sauvignon.html
Jim Gordon, JamesSuckling.com, December 2024
94 points, a staunch defender of the restrained, elegant style of Napa reds
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points: A staunch defender of the restrained, elegant style of Napa reds made in the 1970s, yet with a little more body and ripeness than wines from that era. Tasty, tangy black cherries and blackberries with accents of bay leaves, black olives, cedar and star anise. Firm tannins, good acidity and the potential for aging. Drinkable now, but best from 2029.
https://www.jamessuckling.com/tasting-notes/286450/smith-madrone-cabernet-sauvignon-napa-valley-spring-mountain-district-2021
Purely Domestic Wine Report, Doug Wilder, Issue 11.1, December 2024
A beautiful example of what mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley can be
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
The nose is rosemary, camphor and licorice with underlying blackberry and plum. The palate entry is violet, dry plum leading to a silky core of spiced red and purple stone fruit that are beautifully integrated throughout. Just a beautiful example of what mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley can be. Drink 2024-2044.
http://www.purelydomesticwinereport.com/
Dan Berger, Napa Valley Focus, January 2, 2024
Remarkable value...a balance of intensity and character
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Most wine-lovers realize the vital difference between Valley floor-grown grapes and those that grow in mountain soils. Cabernet, in particular, is a classic case in point because for various geological and meteorological reasons, what you get tends to be a little more intense and distinctive. For that reason and a couple of others (e.g., higher farming costs), it’s understandable that mountain-grown cabernets can be more expensive than others, which makes this wine a remarkable value. The grapes were grown at the highest elevation on Spring Mountain. Some reviewers will not see the greatness in this wine that I do. Most of the point-purveyors usually seek intensity over character. This wine has a balance of both, and one of its most attractive characteristics is that it smells and tastes like cabernet! Which differs from most Napa Valley cabs today. Once this wine has been opened and decanted for a couple of hours you get delicate mint, dried herb and tobacco influences that perfectly pair with cassis and black-cherry fruit. Although it is extremely young, it responds beautifully to aeration. Swirling it in a glass expands the nuances, which are easy to access because the alcohol (14.3%) is moderate and the pH low (3.56). Its excellent structure works superbly with beef dishes. Almost 18% cabernet Franc contributes depth and complexity. From the website: “Our Spring Mountain pedigree insures deliciously integrated tannins and a long life-span. For fifty years our wines have been sourced from the same vineyards, pruned, cultivated and harvested in the same manner, creating artisanal wines which are distinctive and complex.”
https://napavalleyfocus.substack.com/p/dan-berger-wine-chronicles-what-is?utm_source=AfternoonBrief&utm_medium=newsletter
James Melendez, James The Wine Guy, December 30, 2024
Luminous
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Luminous
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oa4Ak-E1lfA
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Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery
P.O. Box 451/ 4022 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, CA 94574
Telephone: 707.963.2283
