I’d be curious to hear from people in the valley who have an ear to the ground. I am assuming there was a lot of Napa valley cabernet purchased in 2024 and 2025. Specifically purchased for cheaper prices by producers from outside the ava(assumption once again) who have never produced a Napa wine before.
Once the 2024 and especially 2025 vintages are released, should we expect to se a flood of more affordable Napa Cabs made by new producers? Either buyers saw the lower prices as an opportunity to make a new wine from an amazing region for less, or saw prices as a warning to stay away. Any weight to this theory?
Cabernet should be the easiest wine to sell shouldn’t it?
Problem is every brand diners recognize has priced themselves out unless it has a donkey on the label.
I love Valdiquie, Syrah and Carignane ect but nobody outside of wine geekdom are buying these.
In California, it’s not surprising that your TJs doesn’t have an imported Cab/Merlot based selection. There is a plethora of good, inexpensive CA wines now and it’s local.
There’s no local Cab in Portland, and the market here has a strong European influence in the wine culture. So Bordeaux makes a bit more sense in a TJs set here.
In the latest Spectator there’s a good article about the new generation of Italian wine families. Several of them comment on making wine more accessible. They get it. wine isn’t cool anymore. either are we.
This makes sense. But that has to come down to pricing while still retaining quality and culture.
At least for me, I don’t need any more cool labels slapped on modern or natty wines that don’t really reflect anywhere.
It’s not different from saying that we need to make affordable healthcare more accessible…zoom care or a facility with two doctors and 25 PAs isn’t really the answer anyone wants.
My thought exactly on the Sauvignon Blanc - my understanding it is the one varietal wine that is increasing in market share. Except for SE the retail price will take a real hit. Question - you mention yields higher - is price less to produce (assuming less oak which has to be some cost savings). Kind of curious if it really makes sense. It seems there is a decent amount of SB which is getting around 100 dollars a bottle which I would have thought crazy 5 years ago (well I still think it is kind of crazy).
In 2024, the top three varieties in total value were Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot. Approximately 78,536 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon (24,839 acres) were harvested and sold at an average price of $9,146 per ton. Chardonnay (5,662 acres) exceeded Merlot (3,515 acres) by 2,147 bearing acres, but sold at $962 less per ton on average. Merlot production was 10,921 tons, valued at an average of $4,752 per ton. Chardonnay production of 18,951 tons was valued on average at $3,790 per ton. These three varieties together accounted for approximately 74 percent of all production and 82 percent of the total winegrape value.
Ths was in 2024 in Napa and SB is usually around $2k a ton up to $3k a ton, but the farming costs are not less for SB vs. CS.
Not sure your point Dan…if cropping higher more water? If higher tonnage, higher harvest costs and costs sorting/selecting/crushing/staffing? Save on barrels but use neutral or concrete or need more steel tanks due to more juice?
To make a high quality sb you have to farm for quality not yield. To quote our winemaker Maayan “much harder to make high end SB than high end Cab”.
Its a finnicky varietal to nail and only does well when treated with the same respect and intention as the big brother. Farming costs are the same as cab.
Regarding prices - nobody pushing the boundary with the variety are paying less than 5-6K a ton for their Sblanc. Cab on the other hand - NV average was somewhere around 8900 in 2025 and most wines above 150.00 bottle are north of 12,500.
