Cover Story

California's Top 50  Who makes the best Napa Cabernet? We sifted through thousands of reviews from 14 vintages, starting from the 1990, to answer that question and bring you the 50 best wines of the region  James Laube

• Napa's Top 50
• Scoring History 1990-2003
• Top 50 at a Glance
• Quality-to-Price Ratio
• 10-Year Retail Price Comparison and California's Top-Scoring Cabernets

• Wine Spectator Online  Bonus Video: Join us as we visit with some of Napa's top Cabernet producers, including Caymus, Harlan Estate and Shafer.

• Want to learn more about California Cabernet? Through the Wine Spectator School course you'll discover what to expect at different price levels, hear from top winemakers and explore the important appellations.

The Rising Stars of Napa  A look at 20 wineries that may be the next to join the ranks of Napa's elite

Beyond Napa  The best bottlings from the rest of California  MaryAnn Bovio

Cabernet at Auction  Napa's top wines offer opportunities for both buyers and sellers  Peter D. Meltzer

Features

Tasting Report

Rhône Valley  The south produced excellent wines across the board in 2004, while crop from the north is a little more uneven  James Molesworth

• Wine Spectator Online  Bonus Videos and Cellar Notes: Join senior editor James Molesworth to learn more about the Rhône Valley as he tastes four wines from the 2004 vintage—two whites from the north and two reds from the south. Or read his reports, complete with cellar notes on many 2004s, from top domaines he visited in the Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône in the past year.

California Cabernet  Faced with difficult weather and a challenging harvest, vintners deliver many ordinary wines and a few standouts in 2003  James Laube

Travel

Sun, Surf and Fine Wine in San Diego  California's second-largest city undergoes an extreme makeover-and ramps up its food-and-wine scene to match  Tim Fish

• Our Restaurant Awards database features more than 3,700 wine-friendly restaurants around the world, including many in the greater San Diego area and in Southern California's wine regions.

People

Sonoma Mavericks  Profiles of seven vintners who followed their instincts and pushed the boundaries of winemaking in Northern California  Tim Fish

The Mayor of Wine  Gavin Newsom, winner of Wine Spectator's 2006 Distinguished Service Award, juggles politics and his commitment to California wine  Tim Fish

Educating Winemakers  Grants from the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation aid students in the enology and viticulture program at UC, Davis  Daniel Sogg

Bad Boy of California Wine  Fred Franzia, CEO of Bronco Wine Co. and creator of Two-Buck Chuck, takes no prisoners in his quest to produce affordable bottlings  Daniel Sogg

Menu

First, Taste Some Wine  New Zealand-born chef Peter Gordon approaches the wine-and-food-matching equation from a different angle  Harvey Steiman

Dining

Mediterranean in the Rockies  Restaurants in Boulder and other major Colorado cities look to southern Europe for culinary inspiration  John Mariani

• Wine Spectator Online  John Mariani has covered fine restaurants across the country and around the world. Visit his archives.

• Our Restaurant Awards database features more than 3,700 wine-friendly restaurants around the world, including more than 100 in Colorado.

Inside the Restaurant Awards  Wine Spectator visits Norwegian restaurant Elysée to see if the dining experience matches the amazing wine list  Per-Henrik Mansson

Departments

This Issue  Marvin R. Shanken

Upfront  Massachusetts lawsuit follows the Supreme Court's direct-shipping ruling; wine may not lead to heartburn; St.-Emilion estates are reclassified; Friends Mix Business With Pleasure To Create Outstanding Napa Reds; Gary Andrus' Kiwi Winery Placed in Receivership; GrapeVine; Napa Talent Heads to Sierra Foothills

• Wine Spectator Online  Keep up with breaking news about the wine world every day.

Tastes  American Wagyu beef; Argan oil; putting a price on good coffee; checking your temperature

• Wine Spectator Online  To learn more about different cattle breeds and the various cuts of meat, visit our online Encyclopedia of Food.

• To learn more about coffee, read contributing editor Sam Gugino's complete package—his trip to the source, a brief history of the beverage, the different types around the world, how to make the perfect cup and the best brewing machines.

Dining Out  Los Angeles  Harvey Steiman

• Wine Spectator Online  Wine Spectator Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter, Sips & Tips, provides advice on dining and travel. See a sample newsletter and sign up for issues.

Columns

• James Laube  A trip down Cabernet lane
• Wine Spectator Online  In his recent blog posts, James Laube has discussed exciting new California sparklers, high-priced grapes and his definition of a wine geek.
• Matt Kramer  The music of wine
• James Suckling  Winemaking in Israel
• Wine Spectator Online  Whether he's tasting in Israel, in London or at home in Tuscany, James Suckling shares his latest experiences in his blog.

Collecting  President of ABC Entertainment Stephen McPherson talks wine; Tour de Bordeaux raises money for landmine victims; Charity Auction Spotlights Washington Wines

• Wine Spectator Online  Subscribers to Wine Spectator Online can search the complete Auction Index for prices on collectibles, read analyses of auction results and view a calendar of upcoming commercial and benefit auctions in our Collecting section.

Wine Talk  Virgin Wines founder  Richard Branson  Julie Mautner

The Buying Guide

For complete reviews of more than 163,000 wines, use Wine Spectator Online's Wine Ratings Search, where you can sort by region, variety, vintage, price, score and tasting date.

FREE ACCESS PASS  Celebrate Wine Spectator Online's 10th birthday! We are offering visitors free access to our entire site from Oct. 16-31, including our wine ratings, vintage charts, tasting reports and more. Take advantage of this special opportunity! TOP 100 COUNTDOWN  On Nov. 13, we'll begin unveiling the top 10 wines of 2006, followed by the full list of the Top 100. The names of the wines will be available to all our readers, but the full tasting notes will be accessible only to our subscribers. Visit our site for a schedule of the countdown and don't miss out on this exciting event! BONUS VIDEOS  Watch Napa Valley's top Cabernet producers, including Caymus, Harlan and Shafer, explain how they make their wines. Plus, senior editor James Molesworth highlights red and white Rhônes from the outstanding 2004 vintage. You can view it all on the site or subscribe to Wine Spectator's weekly video Podcast on iTunes. LEARN WINE FORUM  Looking to expand your knowledge of wine? If you want to learn more about grapegrowing, winemaking, how to buy and serve wine and even how to put together a tasting, check out Wine Spectator School's Learn Wine forum.

GUEST BLOGGERS  Starting in October, celebrity chef Charlie Trotter and California Pinot Noir producer Brian Loring join Wine Spectator Online to share their insights on food and wine. Here's your chance to learn from the masters! Plus, our senior editors continue to post blog entries on their latest tasting and dining experiences. CALIFORNIA WINE EXPERIENCE  Can't make it to this year's Wine Experience in San Francisco? Our full coverage of the event brings your favorite winemakers and chefs to you, with photos, articles and video from the tastings and seminars. It's almost like being there. 2006 HARVEST  We're checking in with winemakers across the Northern Hemisphere to find out how the vintage is going in the top regions of Europe and the United States. Visit our site regularly for the latest news from the vineyards. HALLOWEEN TREATS   This holiday doesn't have to be just for kids. We highlight a few of our favorite sticky wines and some great desserts to have with them.