Q: As Napa tasting fees and Cabernet Sauvignon prices climb higher, what will we "normal" people do?
A: Visit and/or buy Cab from other growing regions.
So where might that be? The big winner could be Sonoma County, largely because it's located right next door to Napa and is equally accessible to the area's biggest market, the Bay Area. For buyers at the local store, Sonoma is probably the second most recognizable U.S. name for Cab after Napa.
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| Fancy Napa tasting salon Your fees and purchases are paying for that |
Following are a few random popular wineries for visitors. Prices are per their website.
A few examples of popular Napa cabs:
- Hall - $50 to $275
- Heitz - $100 to $300
- Louis Martini - $55 to $200
- Mondavi - $50 to $270
- Opus One - $390
- Spottswoode - $90 to $245
A few examples of popular Sonoma County cabs:
- Alexander Vly Vyds - $27 to $55
- Benziger - $20 to $65
- Dry Creek Vyd - $32 to $72
- Jordan - $60
- Kenwood - $22 to $55
- St Francis - $50 to $72
Sonoma County has several areas that grow great Cabernet, most notably Alexander Valley, but there's also Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Valley, Rockpile, Moon Mountain, and Knights Valley. Even Napa wineries are taking note of the fruit coming from Alexander Valley, as there are several making their own wines from those grapes, including Louis Martini and Silver Oak. At least one, Beringer, gets fruit from Knights Valley.
Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County is another popular area of California for Cabernet Sauvignon. In Washington State, some of the Cabernet regions are Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hill, and Walla Walla.
Any of these regions listed here will have average Cab prices much less than Napa's. Whether you like any of these at least as well as Napa Cabernets is up to you.
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| Bacigalupi Winery's tasting room near Healdsburg in Sonoma County. Nice, not extravagant |
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