2020 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

A creamy texture surrounds pretty floral and black fruit flavors in this elegant, poised wine. It escaped the vintage's smoke effects, and offers pure blackcurrant and black cherry flavors that expand on the palate and linger in the finish. Medium- to full-bodied. Made from 100% cabernet sauvignon. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now but best from 2029.

95 points jamessuckling.com

Youthful, compressed and vital with a lovely concentration of blackcurrant fruit. Rich and layered. There’s a sweet core of fruit here, with nice texture and tension. Ripe and delicious, but there’s substantial structure under the sweet fruit. A beautiful wine with a long life ahead of it.

95 points Jamie Goode Wine Anorak

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a pretty rich, hedonistic wine from Mayacamas. Dark, potent and brooding, the 2020 packs a serious punch. What surprises me most is how soft the tannins are for such a powerful, young Cabernet, even though they are very much present. The 2020 is still in barrel, but it is shaping up to be a gem and also potentially one of the highlights of this very challenging year. There's terrific energy and vibrancy here.

94-96 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com

Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is one of Napa Valley’s most storied wines, a benchmark for traditional mountain Cabernet and a stark contrast to the plush, fruit-forward styles that dominate the region today. Perched high on Mount Veeder at elevations of up to 2,400 feet, Mayacamas has been producing wines since 1889, with the rugged volcanic soils, cooler climate, and high altitude shaping its unmistakable character.

The Cabernet Sauvignon is renowned for its restraint and longevity. Rather than showing immediate opulence, it leans into firm structure, lifted acidity, and earthy, herbal complexity. Expect dark currant, blackberry, graphite, and dried sage, with hints of tobacco, cedar, and ironstone. The tannins are finely grained but powerful, giving the wine a backbone that allows it to age gracefully for decades. Unlike many modern Napa Cabernets, Mayacamas often needs time in the cellar to truly express itself, rewarding patience with incredible depth and nuance.

Winemaking is firmly old-school. Grapes are hand-harvested, fermentation takes place in concrete vats, and the wine is aged in large neutral oak casks rather than flashy new barriques. This minimal intervention approach preserves the vineyard’s mountain identity, producing wines with purity, savoury layers, and remarkable tension.

Cellaring potential is legendary. Top vintages of Mayacamas Cabernet can easily age for 20 to 40 years, developing layers of leather, dried herbs, and forest floor alongside their core of mountain fruit. Food pairings are best kept classic: dry-aged ribeye, venison stew, or rosemary lamb shoulder, dishes that can stand alongside the wine’s firm tannins and herbal edge.