Critic picks

Wine Advocate's top-rated wineries in California

Wine Advocate scores on the 100-point scale. Its 1734 ranked California producers run from 96 to 98 points, each with at least two rated wines.

Ranked by Wine Advocate's mean score across every wine of theirs Wine Advocate has rated. Highest average first; ties go to the producer with more wines rated.

1734
Producers Wine Advocate rates
98
Top score
831
Wines scored, top 25

The list

  1. 198PromontoryNapa Valley, United States4 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  2. 298Screaming EagleOakville, United States2 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  3. 398Hundred AcreRutherford, United States106 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  4. 498GreerNapa Valley, United States2 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  5. 597Devil ProofCalifornia, United States8 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  6. 697VeriteSonoma County, United States21 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  7. 797Andremily WinesSanta Barbara County, United States19 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  8. 897Rancho Ventavo CellarsPaso Robles, United States3 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  9. 997Tesseron EstateNapa Valley, United States2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  10. 1097Maybach Family VineyardsOakville, United States10 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  11. 1197ColginNapa Valley, United States79 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  12. 1297OccidentalSonoma Coast, United States40 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  13. 1397HarbisonOakville, United States12 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  14. 1496AbreuNapa Valley, United States27 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  15. 1596Vangone EstateNapa Valley, United States5 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  16. 1696Sine Qua NonCalifornia, United States114 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  17. 1796The DebateNapa Valley, United States29 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  18. 1896DanaNapa Valley, United States14 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  19. 1996SchraderCalistoga, United States81 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  20. 2096Les CousinsCalifornia, United States2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  21. 2196BrvghelliCentral Coast, United States6 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  22. 2296Fe WinesNapa Valley, United States10 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  23. 2396Fairchild EstateSt. Helena, United States17 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  24. 2496Bevan CellarsOakville, United States135 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  25. 2596RealmSt. Helena, United States83 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→

How we choose

Wine Advocate rates individual wines, not estates. Each producer's place here is its average Wine Advocate score across every wine of theirs the critic has scored. A producer needs at least two such wines to appear: the guard stops a single lucky score on one bottle from outranking an estate with dozens of rated wines. More on how the list works

Frequently asked

How many California wineries has Wine Advocate rated?
1734 wineries in California, United States have at least two wines scored by Wine Advocate. Only those appear here.
Which California winery does Wine Advocate rate highest?
Promontory, at a 98-point average from Wine Advocate, followed by Screaming Eagle and Hundred Acre.
How is this list ranked?
By Wine Advocate's average score across each winery's wines. A winery needs at least two Wine Advocate-rated wines to be listed, so a single high score cannot top the ranking.
Does this use user reviews?
No. Only Wine Advocate's professional ratings. There are no crowd star averages in it.

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