American Cabernet 101
Explore America’s top Cabernet Sauvignon regions—Napa, Sonoma, Columbia Valley, and Paso Robles—and learn what shapes their styles. Includes maps, terroir insights, and a guided tasting.
Welcome to the Course
How the course works
Fun Facts about American Cabernet Sauvignon
A brief history of Cabernet Sauvignon in the USA
Early roots in the Pacific Northwest (1825)
California’s 19th-century start
Prohibition and restart (1919–1933)
1941: First Cabernet planted in Washington State
1976: Judgment of Paris, spotlight on American Cabernet
Washington scales up (1990s–2000s).
Paso Robles comes of age (2000s–2010s).
Today, Cabernet is a national pillar
Timeline and Sources
Review Video
California Intro
North Coast
Napa Valley
Napa Valley - Geography
Napa Valley Terroir - Climate
Napa Valley Terroir - Mountains
Napa Valley Terroir - Soils
Key Napa Valley AVAs & Flavors
Video Review
Sonoma County - Where is it?
Sonoma County Terroir - Climate
Sonoma County Terroir - Geography & Soils
Sonoma County - Key AVAs & Flavors
Sonoma vs. Napa Valley
Video Review
Central Coast - Paso Robles
Paso Robles - Where is it?
Paso Robles Terroir - Climate & Geography
Paso Robles Terroir - Soils
Paso Robles AVAs & Flavors
Review Video
Washington State
Columbia Valley - Where is it?
Columbia Valley Terroir - Climate
Columbia Valley Terroir - Geography
Columbia Valley Terroir - Soils
California vs Washington Terroir
Columbia Valley AVAs & Flavors
Grape Economics
Video Review