Critic picks

Wine Enthusiast's top-rated wineries in California

Wine Enthusiast scores on the 100-point scale. Its 4059 ranked California producers run from 95 to 96 points, each with at least two rated wines.

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

4059
Producers Wine Enthusiast rates
96
Top score
187
Wines scored, top 25

The list

  1. 196Harlan EstateOakville, United States9 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  2. 296CaladanNapa Valley, United States3 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  3. 396FerrenSonoma County, United States3 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  4. 496RealmSt. Helena, United States12 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  5. 596SemperSonoma County, United States2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  6. 696Tres PerlasNapa Valley, United States4 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  7. 796Cathiard VineyardNapa Valley, United States3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  8. 896Di CostanzoNapa Valley, United States13 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  9. 996The DebateNapa Valley, United States15 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  10. 1096Au SommetNapa Valley, United States2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  11. 1196QuixoteNapa Valley, United States2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  12. 1296WayfarerFort Ross-Seaview, United States21 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  13. 1395Crown PointHappy Canyon of Santa Barbara, United States18 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  14. 1495La Pelle WinesNapa Valley, United States7 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  15. 1595Beau MarchaisCalifornia, United States9 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  16. 1695Sunshine Valley VineyardsNapa Valley, United States3 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  17. 1795MacauleyNapa Valley, United States20 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  18. 1895Devil ProofCalifornia, United States13 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  19. 1995Inn at ChuronCalifornia, United States3 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  20. 2095ColginNapa Valley, United States15 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  21. 2195JonataCalifornia, United States2 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  22. 2295Nicolaysen Family VineyardsCalifornia, United States2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  23. 2395Matt MorrisNapa Valley, United States2 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  24. 2495MithraMount Veeder, United States2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  25. 2595Fiadh RuadhStags Leap District, United States2 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→

How we choose

Wine Enthusiast rates individual wines, not estates. Each producer's place here is its average Wine Enthusiast 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 Enthusiast rated?
4059 wineries in California, United States have at least two wines scored by Wine Enthusiast. Only those appear here.
Which California winery does Wine Enthusiast rate highest?
Harlan Estate, at a 96-point average from Wine Enthusiast, followed by Caladan and Ferren.
How is this list ranked?
By Wine Enthusiast's average score across each winery's wines. A winery needs at least two Wine Enthusiast-rated wines to be listed, so a single high score cannot top the ranking.
Does this use user reviews?
No. Only Wine Enthusiast's professional ratings. There are no crowd star averages in it.

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