What you need to know about cult Napa Valley wines
Praised by critics and pursued by collectors, cult Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Napa Valley represent Californian winemaking at its best.

The success of Screaming Eagle’s Cabernet Sauvignon inspired other Napa Valley producers to make their unicorn wine.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
When Jayson Woodbridge, an ex-investment banker, arrived in California’s Napa Valley in 1999 to search for a vineyard to make Cabernet Sauvignon, he had zero winemaking experience. One would have expected him to pick a tried-and-tested vineyard. After all, if you were going to the races for the first time, you’d want to bet on a winner. Instead, Woodbridge settled for a 3.6-hectare vineyard that had an unremarkable record. For decades, it had been a Sauvignon Blanc vineyard and was producing average wine.
The vineyard was long thought to be unsuitable for red grapes until 1996, when it was replanted to Cabernet Sauvignon by Jim Barbour, a viticulturalist and a friend of Woodbridge’s. Barbour had observed that the plot’s location in a warmer area of the valley and the clay soil’s high amounts of silica and obsidian rocks were reminiscent of the renowned Petrus estate in Bordeaux. Sold by the contrarian idea, Woodbridge bought the vineyard in 2000, named it Kayli Morgan, and established Hundred Acre winery.
Today, wines from Hundred Acre are highly sought after by fans of quality Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley; the winery has a cult following. Kayli Morgan, which was renamed Morgan’s Way two years ago, is now considered one of Napa’s top vineyards, its memorable second lease of life all but erasing its mediocre past.

Landon Patterson, chief executive officer of the Hundred Acre Wine Group, said: “Twenty-five years later, this previous Sauvignon Blanc vineyard that nobody wanted is now one of the ‘grand cru’ estates of Napa Valley. The secret is simple — look for treasure where no one else is looking.”
Hundred Acre belongs to a handful of Napa Valley wine producers making cult Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines are considered prized sips that oenophiles stash away in their cellars or break out on special occasions. In recent years, wine auctions have also featured a few of these Napa Valley stars — the very American-sounding Screaming Eagle wine is a notable example. At an Acker wine auction in Singapore last year, 12 bottles of Screaming Eagle 2006 sold for S$53, 125.
TAKING OFF WITH THE EAGLE
Screaming Eagle is widely considered the origin of the cult wine phenomenon. Founded in 1986, the winery gained fame when its 1992 vintage received 99 points from American wine critic Robert Parker, prompting a surge in its demand and prices. Subsequent vintages continued to score well, including its 1997 vintage, which earned 100 points and boosted its cult status. Because of the wine’s limited production, customers are usually placed on a waiting list.
The success of Screaming Eagle’s Cabernet Sauvignon inspired other Napa Valley producers to make their unicorn wine. Others who were already making iconoclastic wines became associated with the cult wine movement as well: According to Praelum Wine Bistro’s head sommelier, Gerald Lu, one of these wine producers was Harlan Estate, which initially set out to make a Cabernet Sauvignon that reflected Bordeaux and Burgundy winemaking principles.
“Wineries like Harlan Estate were already making very good quality wine; they started out not trying to be a cult label [but] became one because everyone wanted their wine,” said Lu. “Napa Valley also had four great vintages in a row — from 1994 to 1997 — and the global market started to pursue these wines. Wines would be released at S$100 a bottle and be on the resale market for S$400 overnight.”

Like any label that offers sales and marketing potential, “cult wine” has come to be used quite liberally by members of the wine trade. Patterson said the term has been “abused over the last 20 years”. “I heard of [wines] like a $25 ‘cult wine’,” he said. “How many of those wineries are truly elite is up for debate but the number is much smaller than you’d think — maybe five to six wineries.”
What are the hallmarks of a real cult wine? Patterson highlighted that it should, first and foremost, have a strong point of view; a willingness to push winemaking boundaries, as demonstrated by Hundred Acre’s faith in the Kayli Morgan vineyard. Secondly, its demand exceeds supply; fans are willing to pay almost any price, as in the case of Screaming Eagle.
Praelum Wine Bistro’s Lu echoed Patterson’s sentiments. “The wine should have some kind of allocation or waiting list, and people clamour to be on it. Its quality should be a given, and its production should be small, typically between 500 and 800 cases,” he said. “The wine should also have a high score or rating from a credible source or critic, such as Wine Advocate.”
“I don’t necessarily think those cult wines are better wines than the big brands. Their price point can be ludicrous,” added Lu. “But I have to say in general, against the typical mass-produced wines from California, the cult wines are of better quality.”
Looking to buy some cult Napa Valley wines? We pick four you should try.
HARLAN ESTATE 2018

Harlan Estate was founded in 1984 by Bill Harlan, who was inspired by the concept of terroir after his visits to Bordeaux and Burgundy. Located on the slopes of Oakville, the vineyards are planted to the classic Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
The flagship wine is a Bordeaux-style blend. Harlan Estate rarely reveals the exact breakdown in the blend but Cabernet Sauvignon is the predominant variety. The 2018 vintage offers Harlan’s trademark of grace and power: Its bouquet flaunts notes of dark fruit and wet forest floor; on the palate, a gentle acidity and rather soft tannins accompany the notes of blackcurrant, chocolate, mocha, and mint.
S$2,500, from Crystal Wines
HUNDRED ACRE, KAYLI MORGAN 2017

The Kayli Morgan Cabernet Sauvignon is one of three single vineyard wines — the others being Few & Far Between, and Ark — produced by Hundred Acre. Aged for a minimum of 30 months in new French oak barriques, the wine is rich and sumptuous, with notes of blackberry, cherry, and smoked meat. Its rather herbaceous, spicy finish lends it a rustic edge.
S$800, from Grand Vin
SCHRADER CELLARS, BECKSTOFFER TO KALON VINEYARD CCS 2021

Founded in 1998, Schrader Cellars quickly made a name for itself with its ripe and bold Cabernet Sauvignon wines. To date, it has received 39 100-point scores from wine reviews — a feat it claims hasn’t been surpassed by any other winery in Napa Valley.
Part of the winery’s success can be attributed to its exceptional grapes from the legendary To Kalon vineyard. The vineyard is currently divided between six businesses, two of them being Constellation Brands (after acquiring the site from the late Robert Mondavi) and grape grower Andy Beckstoffer. Any winery that buys grapes from the latter can label its wine as Beckstoffer To Kalon, which Schrader Cellars has done so. The 2021 To Kalon offering is a brooding, intense and well-structured vino that has plenty of ageing potential. Put this away in the cellar.
S$639, from 1855 The Bottle Shop
STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS, SLV CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars became famous in 1976 when its SLV Cabernet Sauvignon 1973 earned the highest score in a blind tasting event of Californian and French wines in Paris, beating those from Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion. (Of course, there was a hoo-ha from the French.) The historic event has since come to be known as the 1976 Judgment of Paris.
Almost 50 years later, Stag’s Leap’s Bordeaux-beating Cabernet Sauvignon still has a strong fanbase. The 2018 vintage was aged for 21 months in new French oak. On the nose, expect aromas of cocoa, dark fruit, and plum. On the palate, the wine is plush, offering floral touches and gravelly tannins.
S$398, from Monopole