The storied history of Californian wine begins with the Gold Rush generation in the mid to late 1800s – this was an era in which pioneering migrant families established the region’s first vineyards in northern California. This era was characterised by a number of precocious successes – Inglenook, Beaulieu, Beringer, Charles Krug, Chateau Montelena, Mayacamas, Schramsberg Vineyards – names that continue to form part of the rich tapestry of California wine to this day.

But the modern history of California’s wine industry, and Napa wine more specifically, begins in the 1960s. It was in 1966 that Robert Mondavi founded his eponymous winery in Oakville. This heralded the beginning of Napa’s ascent into the echelons of the world’s finest wines. Prior to Robert Mondavi, few wines were sold as a specific grape varietal. In large part, the success of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon was due to the reputation earned the wines of Charles Krug (owned by the Mondavi family).

That success persuaded many other Napa wineries to focus on planting Cabernet (and other Bordeaux grape varieties) and bottling single-variety wines. Not long after, Napa’s reputation as a producer of world-class Cabernets received an historic boost thanks to Stephen Spurrier’s audacious Judgement of Paris tasting in 1976. This milestone tasting saw several California wines triumph over some of the leading Cru Classé wines of Bordeaux. The rest, as they say, is history. Below we profile six iconic wines that cemented the status of Napa Cabernet as one of the world’s greatest red wines.

Few wineries in the world have achieved celebrity with such astonishing speed as Screaming Eagle – a near-perfect 99 points awarded by Robert Parker for the 1992 vintage establishing the winery as a Napa superstar almost overnight. Former property agent Jean Philips began buying up prime vineyard plots in the mid-1980s. Famously Philips produced her first experimental Cabernet Sauvignon wines in a small plastic bin, calling on Robert Mondavi to evaluate what she had produced. Mondavi offered Philips sufficient encouragement to take her winemaking project further and Screaming Eagle released its first vintage in 1992. Philips’s modest property continued on its upward trajectory with each successive vintage and now enjoys a near-mythic status among great Napa Cabs.

Few wineries in the world have achieved celebrity with such astonishing speed as Screaming Eagle – a near-perfect 99 points awarded by Robert Parker for the 1992 vintage establishing the winery as a Napa superstar almost overnight. Former property agent Jean Philips began buying up prime vineyard plots in the mid-1980s. Famously Philips produced her first experimental Cabernet Sauvignon wines in a small plastic bin, calling on Robert Mondavi to evaluate what she had produced. Mondavi offered Philips sufficient encouragement to take her winemaking project further and Screaming Eagle released its first vintage in 1992. Philips’s modest property continued on its upward trajectory with each successive vintage and now enjoys a near-mythic status among great Napa Cabs.

Inspired by the pioneering Napa producers such as Robert Mondavi, Bill Harlan founded Harlan Estate in Oakville in 1984. He planted his vineyards with Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon (now representing 70% of the vineyard plantings), Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, his intention to create his own bona fide Napa First Growth. Harlan Estate released its first wine from the 1990 vintage. The estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon-based Proprietary Red is the estate's flagship wine, having a slew of perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker. Limited production and the wine’s almost unrivalled reputation for complexity and longevity dictate that these are among the most sought-after wines in the Napa Valley.

Few wineries in the world have achieved celebrity with such astonishing speed as Screaming Eagle – a near-perfect 99 points awarded by Robert Parker for the 1992 vintage establishing the winery as a Napa superstar almost overnight. Former property agent Jean Philips began buying up prime vineyard plots in the mid-1980s. Famously Philips produced her first experimental Cabernet Sauvignon wines in a small plastic bin, calling on Robert Mondavi to evaluate what she had produced. Mondavi offered Philips sufficient encouragement to take her winemaking project further and Screaming Eagle released its first vintage in 1992. Philips’s modest property continued on its upward trajectory with each successive vintage and now enjoys a near-mythic status among great Napa Cabs.

Few wineries in the world have achieved celebrity with such astonishing speed as Screaming Eagle – a near-perfect 99 points awarded by Robert Parker for the 1992 vintage establishing the winery as a Napa superstar almost overnight. Former property agent Jean Philips began buying up prime vineyard plots in the mid-1980s. Famously Philips produced her first experimental Cabernet Sauvignon wines in a small plastic bin, calling on Robert Mondavi to evaluate what she had produced. Mondavi offered Philips sufficient encouragement to take her winemaking project further and Screaming Eagle released its first vintage in 1992. Philips’s modest property continued on its upward trajectory with each successive vintage and now enjoys a near-mythic status among great Napa Cabs.

Few wineries in the world have achieved celebrity with such astonishing speed as Screaming Eagle – a near-perfect 99 points awarded by Robert Parker for the 1992 vintage establishing the winery as a Napa superstar almost overnight. Former property agent Jean Philips began buying up prime vineyard plots in the mid-1980s. Famously Philips produced her first experimental Cabernet Sauvignon wines in a small plastic bin, calling on Robert Mondavi to evaluate what she had produced. Mondavi offered Philips sufficient encouragement to take her winemaking project further and Screaming Eagle released its first vintage in 1992. Philips’s modest property continued on its upward trajectory with each successive vintage and now enjoys a near-mythic status among great Napa Cabs.