California Cabernet

Marked by a cooler growing season, the stellar 2021 vintage highlights an evolution in style

Six bottles of California Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the 2021 vintage are displayed on a table.
Kinsman Eades, MacDonald, Scarecrow, Memento Mori, Schrader and Stag’s Leap and produced some of 2021’s top-scoring California Cabernets. (Evi Abeler)

A cooler-than-usual growing season in 2021 converged with a shift in winemaking practices on the part of vintners to create fresh, energetic wines. The result is dozens of classic-scoring bottles and a vintage rated 97 points overall. Read senior editor James Molesworth’s tasting report to get scores and tasting notes for recently released wines, including standout bottlings and good values from top producers such as Schrader, Memento Mori, MacDonald, Beaulieu Vineyard, Dominus, Caymus and more!

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