What Are California Cult Wines & Which Ones Should You Invest In?

by Elaine Lau

California cult wineries produce some of the world’s most expensive, and age-worthy wines.

Their limited production and high demand make it extremely difficult to source these wines.

Often, you’ll have to wait years to get on their mailing lists. For instance, Screaming Eagle, Napa’s most iconic cult winery, has an average waiting time of 12 years!

In this article, we’ll explore 10 popular California cult wineries, their best vintage wines, and their investment potential. We’ll also discover how you can invest in these fine wines through Vinovest.

10 Iconic California Cult Wineries

Here are the 10 most popular California cult wines:

Screaming Eagle, Oakville
Harlan Estate, Oakville
Bryant Estate, St Helena
Arnot-Roberts, Sonoma County
Opus One, St Helena
Kosta Browne Winery, Sonoma County
Dana Estates, Napa Valley
Sine Qua Non, Ventura County
Bedrock Winery, Sonoma County
DAOU Vineyards & Winery, Paso Robles

1. Screaming Eagle, Oakville

Philips and Heidi together made the inaugural 1992 Screaming Eagle wine which secured a perfect 100 from Robert Parker.

The winery produces wines mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon, along with some Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon Blanc. This California wine sells for around $3,000-$7,000 in the secondary market, but rarer vintages like the 1992 Screaming Eagle can sell for over $23,000.

The most popular Screaming Eagle wines are:

Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
Screaming Eagle 'The Flight - Second Flight'

2. Harlan Estate, Oakville

Harlan Estate is another prominent winery founded in 1984 by property developer William Harlan. The estate produces delicious Bordeaux-blend wines from Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot grape varieties.

Remarkably five of its vintages have received 100 points from Robert Parker.

The most popular Harlan Estate wines are:

Harlan Estate
Harlan Estate The Maiden

3. Bryant Estate, St Helena

Bryant Estate is located on Pritchard Hill and is managed by David Abreu,the manager of Araujo Estate, Grace Family Estate, and other popular vineyards.

The winery was founded by Don and Bettina Bryant in 1986 and has been producing small quantities of luscious wines since 1992.

It’s famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon red wine and a red Bordeaux blend wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The grapes for the Bordeaux-inspired wine are obtained from Abreu-farmed St Helena and Howell Mountain vineyards.

The most popular Bryant Estate wines are:

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Bryant Family Vineyard 'Bettina' Proprietary Red

4. Arnot-Roberts, Sonoma County

This amazing winery was founded by winemakers Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts in 2001.

Nestled in Healdsburg, Arnot-Roberts specializes in producing small lot, single vineyard wines mainly made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. It sources the grapes from around 20 different vineyards, most of which are under partnerships with regional growers.

The most popular Arnot-Roberts wines are:

Arnot-Roberts Trout Gulch Vineyard Chardonnay
Arnot-Roberts Montecillo Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

5. Opus One, St Helena

Established as the partnership between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi,the Opus One winery was founded in 1978. Its first vintage was sold for $24,000 in 1984, and it was the first cult wine to be sold in Europe.

Just like Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate, Opus One produces Cabernet-dominant wines with very low quantities of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.

The most popular Opus One wines are:

Opus One
Opus One Overture

6. Kosta Browne Winery, Sonoma County

Kosta Browne is a Sonoma-based winery founded by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne in 1997. It specializes in making single-plot Pinot Noir wines.

Its 2009 vintage, Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, became ‘Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year’ in 2011. At the same time, Kosta Brown released ‘One Sixteen Russian River Valley Chardonnay’, its sole non-Pinot Noir wine.

The most popular Kosta Browne wines are:

Kosta Browne Bootlegger's Hill Pinot Noir
Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

7. Dana Estates, Napa Valley

Dana Estates is nestled at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains of the Napa Valley. It was founded by proprietors Hi Sang Lee and Jae Chun in 2005 and has Philippe Melka and Cameron Vawter as winemakers.

The winery produces limited quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon based wines with a tinge of Sauvignon Blanc. It also makes Bordeaux blends with high amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and small quantities of Merlot and Petit Verdot.

The most popular Dana Estate wines are:

Dana Estates Lotus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Dana Estates Hershey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

8. Sine Qua Non, Ventura County

The Sine Qua Non winery was founded by the Austrian-born winemaker Manfred Krankl in 1993.

Based in Ventura County, Sine Qua Non has most of its vineyards in Santa Barbara and specializes in producing wines from Rhone-grape varieties. While its red wines are mostly Syrah and Grenache, its white blends are dominated by Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier.

The most popular Sine Qua Non wines are:

Sine Qua Non Gewurztraminer With No Name
Sine Qua Non Stockholm Syndrome Syrah

9. Bedrock Winery, Sonoma County

Bedrock Winery was founded in 2007 by Morgan Twain-Peterson in Sonoma County. Along with sourcing Zinfandel grapes from its own vineyard, the winery also buys different grape varieties from well-known vineyards like Monte Rosso Vineyard.

The winery produces various blended Californian wines - thanks to Morgan Twain, who enjoys experimenting with ancient field blends.

The most popular Bedrock Winery wines are:

Bedrock Wine Co. Weill Vineyard Exposition Syrah
Bedrock Wine Co. 'Exposition Two' Weill a Way Vineyard Syrah

10. DAOU Vineyards & Winery, Paso Robles

DAOU Vineyards and Wineries were established in 2007 by brothers George and Daniel Daou.

Located in the Adelaida District AVA of Paso Robles, Daou Vineyards is a California winery that mainly produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Bordeaux-style blends.

The most popular DAOU Vineyards & Winery wines are:

Daou Vineyards Patrimony Cabernet Sauvignon
Daou Vineyards Patrimony Cabernet Franc

Other well-known California cult wineries include Peter Michael, Grace Family Vineyards, The Mascot, Hunnicut, and more.

10 Sought-After California Cult Wines Of 2022

Here are the 10 best California cult wines of 2022:

1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2002 Colgin Cellars IX Estate Red, Napa Valley
1991 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2006 Kosta Browne 'Four Barrel' Pinot Noir, California
2018 Sine Qua Non Cumulus Vineyard 'Next of Kyn', Central Coast
2012 Robert Mondavi Winery Monastery Block Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville
2016 Opus One, Napa Valley
2001 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains
2018 Daou Vineyards Patrimony Caves des Lions, Adelaida District
2007 Silver Oak Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

1. 1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($23,474)

This rare and expensive wine is impressive with jammy blackcurrants and subtle toasty oak aromas. On the palate, it portrays the richness of ripe, sweet, and intense fruit.

2. 2002 Colgin Cellars IX Estate Red, Napa Valley ($798)

It’s a delicious California wine with concentrated currant, blackberry, and pomegranate flavors. It expands during the finish and returns to fruit flavors along with tinges of mocha and cedar.

3. 1991 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($566)

Here’s an opaque purple-colored wine with mineral, licorice, floral-laden, and blackcurrant fruit. It also portrays a full body, exceptional purity, well-integrated acidity, and tannin.

4. 2006 Kosta Browne 'Four Barrel' Pinot Noir, California ($547)

This spectacular wine gives luscious aromas of dark cherries, black fruit, and toasted creamy oak with hints of spice. It coats the palate with cassis, blackberry, and sweet plum flavors.

5. 2018 Sine Qua Non Cumulus Vineyard 'Next of Kyn', Central Coast ($507)

It’s a full-bodied wine with blueberry and cassis fruit flavors along with aroma notes of earth, graphite, and spring flowers. It also has a balanced, rich, and deep structure.

6. 2012 Robert Mondavi Winery Monastery Block Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville ($449)

This marvelous wine is intense, balanced, seamless, and pure. It’ll make a great addition to your cellar.

7. 2016 Opus One, Napa Valley ($429)

It gives off delicious blackcurrants, blueberries, and herb aromas. On the palate, it reveals baked vanilla, rosemary, and olive taste notes.

8. 2001 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains ($427)

Produced by the famous Ridge Monte Bello winery, this vintage wine shows integrated tannins and a long finish. It portrays sweet oak and loganberry fruit flavors along with chocolate notes.

9. 2018 Daou Vineyards Patrimony Caves des Lions, Adelaida District ($292)

Here’s a full-bodied cult wine displaying fine and soft tannins. It reveals dark fruit, seaweed, and soya flavors along with blackberry and blueberry aromas - a perfect wine for a red wine lover.

10. 2007 Silver Oak Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($194)

This cult wine releases cassis, blackberry liqueur, and pipe tobacco aromatics. On the palate, it delivers a sweet core of dark fruits like black cherry.

Should You Invest In California Cult Wines?

A bottle of a rare California cult wine makes the perfect trophy wine for any collector. They’re also delicious and have great aging potential. The Screaming Eagle wine takes at least 25 years to reach its peak, while the Sin Qua Non wine can age for 10-15 years.

This is one of the reasons the price of these wines increases as they age. Take these, for example:

The price of the 1992 Opus One grew from $382 in 2020 to $613 in 2022 - that’s an increase of 60%.
The 1991 Harlan Estate grew by 164%, from $1,041 in 2020 to $2,751 in 2021.

Besides aging potential, their exceptional quality and limited production also contribute to their high price tags. With time, as more and more bottles are consumed, their availability decreases while the demand only rises.

California cult wines have also gained high scores from world-renowned wine critics. The 2013 Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon vintage got a 97 from James Suckling and 94 points from Wine Spectator.

And the 2016 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded 100 points by the Tasting Book and 97 points by Wine Advocate.

Wondering how to buy a bottle?

Vinovest, a world-class wine investment company, that lets you buy, store and sell a bottle of Screaming Eagle or Dalla Valle, or other California cult wines, easily! You can also get it delivered to New Zealand, San Francisco, or any other part of the world if you want to uncork it instead.

Vinovest will also ensure your bottle against breakage, loss, and theft and also check its authenticity.