Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is highly prized. The best Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa are rich, complex and powerful. Most Napa Valley Cabernets are best when consumed from 3 to 5 years after the vintage year but many will age far beyond that if properly stored. The best of will last decades and are on a par with the other best wines on the planet.

The soil in much of the Napa Valley benefits from a mix of minerals that arrived courtesy of the valley's volcanic past. Grapes from mountain-side vineyards such as those on Diamond Mountain at the northern end of the valley can produce wines that especially complex and powerful. Wines from the Rutherford Bench appellation often have an identifiable flavor that comes from the unique subsoil mix of minerals.