Published on April 17, 2025
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Named for the mountain and town within its limits, the Saint Helena AVA sits towards the north of just below . The town of St. Helena was incorporated in 1876, just a short while before the railroad reached the area and 15 years after Napa Valley pioneer built his eponymous winery here, though it was inhabited by the native Wappo people as early as 2000 B.C. Positioned in the narrowest part of the valley, Saint Helena’s vineyards are mainly on the valley floor with elevations between 400 and 800 feet above sea level. On the west side of the appellation soils are mainly gravelly loam while towards the east they are volcanic in nature. Its position in the north of the valley is removed from the cooling influences of the Pacific Ocean and San Pablo Bay, making for fairly warm temperatures and limited variation in day-to-night temperatures. This results in a ripe style of and other Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot that are bottled on their own or in blends. But through our latest tastings, the best Napa Valley red wines we’ve found from the St. Helena AVA are these six Cabernet Sauvignons and one Cabernet Franc.
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Anthem Winery and Vineyards 2021 Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard St. Helena Napa Valley
The Las Piedras vineyard traces back more than 150 years to the Mexican land grants and today comprises 22 acres of solely Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted at the foot of Spring Mountain. It is owned by Andy Beckstoffer and the name translates to “little pebbles” in Spanish. This tasty wine is 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and is aged for 18 months in 95 percent new French oak barrels. It has aromas of caramelized cherries, red plum, and a whiff of chocolate cake with sturdy tannins and flavors of black raspberry, pencil lead, black cherry, and a touch of cocoa nibs in the long, long, finish.
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Davies Vineyards 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley
Jacob Schram planted vines on what is now the J. Davies estate vineyard in 1862. The vineyard is in the center of two cool water creeks, the Nash Creek and the Ritchie Creek, which help keep the vines cool even in the hot sun. The Davies family, also known for their sparkling Schramsberg wines, first planted traditional Champagne grape varieties here in the 1960s but found the land was better for Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties. This bottling is 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon that was aged for 20 months in 50 percent new French oak barrels. Delightful aromas of black plum, cherry, and cassis draw you in to its full-bodied palate of ripe red and black fruit flavors accented by brown baking spices, crushed violet petals, and a touch of graphite in the persistent finish.
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Corison 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley
We have both been fans of Cathy Corison’s wines for decades because she strives to make elegant, restrained, and relatively low-alcohol wines even in the face of higher valley temperatures and the challenges of climate change. Her 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of anise, cedar, tobacco leaf, and black currant. It is both elegant and restrained on the palate with flavors of dried herbs, violet, black raspberry, red plum, and black cherry. It’s drinking nicely right now but it wouldn’t hurt to lay a few bottles down for future enjoyment.
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Salvestrin Winery 2021 Three D Dr. Crane Vineyard St. Helena Napa Valley
Named 3D in honor of Shannon and Rich Salvestrin’s three daughters, this 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the historic Dr. Crane vineyard. All the wine is aged for 14 months but only the best 10 to 12 barrels are blended to create this remarkable bottling. After blending it receives 32 months of ageing in 100 percent French oak barrels. It has aromas of brown baking spices, black plum, and dark cocoa powder that transition to flavors of cinnamon, black raspberry, and cassis on the palate.
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Tate 2021 Spring Street Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley
Tate was founded just 14 years ago by winemaker David Tate and Suzanne Tate and prides itself on producing only small lot wines from small vineyards on Napa Valley slopes and valley floor. Canadian born David has also made wine for Barnett Vineyards and Ridge Vineyards and has also worked in Australia, New Zealand, and France. In his spare time, he teaches classes for the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. His 2021 Spring Street Cabernet Sauvignon is inky purple colored with aromas of red plum, black currant, and a touch of crushed violet petals. It has a pleasantly grippy tannic structure and flavors of cherry, black raspberry, with just a touch of graphite and minerality in the finish.
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Spottswoode 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley
Founder Mary Weber Novak and her husband Dr. Jack Novak fell in love with Spottswoode on a family trip to Napa Valley. She subsequently helped pioneer organic grape growing in Napa Valley and was one of the first women to bring two daughters into a family wine business. Spottswood Estate has been growing grapes since 1972, and the family began making their own wines in 1982. We have tasted many previous vintages and are always impressed with the quality of these wines. The 2021 vintage is no exception and offers heady aromas of black currant, spicy sandalwood, and a whiff of English toffee. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, it has flavors of cigar box, crushed violets, and mixed dark berries. We enjoyed opening this wine very much this week, but you won’t be disappointed if you lay it down for a few years.
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Ballentine Vineyards 2022 Fig Tree Vineyard Cabernet Franc St. Helena Napa Valley
The winemaking team at Ballentine Vineyards reacted in advance to the 2022 heatwave that struck around Labor Day. They chose to selectively pick grapes ahead of the heat and once the mercury spiked, they intensified their harvest operations and got most of their grapes picked in time to preserve acidity and freshness. A blend of 94 percent Cabernet Franc, 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1 percent Petit Verdot this enticing wine has intense ruby color and aromas of Oolong tea, black plum, and freshly picked rose petals. Silky tannins lead the way to flavors of cherry, dark chocolate, and black raspberry.
Authors
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Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen
Credit: robbreport.com
