Based around six miles east of the Napa Valley’s St. Helena, up a winding road, Buehler Vineyards is an historic, family run estate that benefits from its isolated, hillside position. It’s the source of some of the best value wines you’ll find in the Napa Valley.

The winery was founded in 1978 by John and Helen Buehler – John was a retired US army colonel, and World War Two veteran. That puts it in the older category of Napa Valley wineries: out of the thousand-or-so commercial wineries in Napa Valley today, just 70 were producing wine in 1979.

It’s now the third generation of the family at the helm, and the wines remain something of an anomaly: an isolated estate in the Napa Valley, that remains excellent value for money. They’re well worth seeking out.

Napa Valley, located in northern California, is one of the world’s most celebrated wine regions, renowned for its exceptional quality and diversity. The climate is predominantly Mediterranean, with long, warm, sunny days and cooler nights moderated by breezes from San Pablo Bay. This diurnal temperature shift allows grapes to ripen fully while retaining freshness and acidity. Rainfall is concentrated in winter, with summers typically dry, creating ideal conditions for viticulture.

The valley’s soils are remarkably varied, ranging from volcanic ash and lava to gravel, clay and alluvial deposits. This diversity provides a wide array of terroirs, each lending distinctive character to the wines produced. Cabernet Sauvignon is Napa’s flagship grape, yielding structured, full-bodied wines with flavours of blackcurrant, plum, cedar and spice. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel and Petit Verdot also thrive, contributing to complex Bordeaux-style blends.

White varieties, notably Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, are equally successful. Chardonnay often shows ripe tropical fruit balanced by citrus and toasty oak, while Sauvignon Blanc offers zesty, herbal freshness. Overall, Napa Valley wines are celebrated for their richness, intensity and depth of flavour, yet with balance and finesse, making the region a benchmark for New World winemaking.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world’s most widely planted and celebrated red grape varieties, known for its deep colour, firm tannins, and remarkable ageing potential. Originating in Bordeaux, France, as a natural cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, it has become a global benchmark for structured, full-bodied red wines.

Viticulturally, Cabernet Sauvignon is a hardy, late-ripening grape that thrives in warm, sunny climates. It produces small, thick-skinned berries, contributing to its bold tannic structure and deep colour. The vine is relatively resistant to disease and adapts well to diverse soils, making it suitable for a wide range of terroirs.

Today, Cabernet Sauvignon is planted extensively across the world—from its French homeland in Bordeaux’s Left Bank, to California’s Napa Valley, Chile’s Maipo Valley, Australia’s Coonawarra, and South Africa’s Stellenbosch. It often forms the backbone of blends, particularly in Bordeaux-style wines, but also shines as a varietal expression.

Flavour profiles typically include blackcurrant (cassis), blackberry, mint, cedar, and tobacco, often developing notes of leather, earth, and spice with age. Styles range from fruit-forward and plush in warmer climates to structured and herbal in cooler ones. Cabernet Sauvignon’s power, elegance, and longevity make it a cornerstone of fine red winemaking worldwide.