California Cult Wines, it was just around a year ago where I read on article that stated that the craze for the California Cult Wines would drop.  How wrong they are.  As I am writing this, the list of wineries in the Napa Valley region as well as other regions having to form waiting lists to be able to get on their mail order lists is increasing.

Would you like to be able to order wines from Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Colgin, Abreu, Araujo, Sloan, Bryant Family, Shafer, Hundred Acre, or a few of the other heavy hitters of California Cult Wine?  Well, if you have not signed up to be on their waiting lists yet an are looking to sign up now, then be prepared to wait for a very long time.   The number of people on these premium cult wineries waiting lists is not shrinking, it is growing.  But does that mean you have to be left out?  No, you can be part of the cult wine craze, but it is something you have to pay close attention to. 

Here are a few lists of up and coming California Cult Wines that I suggest you act fast upon before waiting lists form and you have to wait to join them like you would for any of the above names I mentioned.

Levy & McClellan - Bob Levy is the winemaker for Harlan Estate, and his wife is the winemaker for the Sloan Estate.  Both of them have made wines that have scored perfect 100 point ratings.  They bought a 6 acre lot in the Diamond Mountain area, and the case production for their 1st and 2nd vintages is 400 cases or less.  Robert Parker gave their 1st vintage, the 2004 vintage a rating of 96-98 points, and their 2005 vintage a rating of 95-97 points.  What a great way to start off.

Their wines look to have excellent cellaring life.  Their maximum estimated case production, given their current vineyard of 6 acres is around 500-600 cases at best.  This is less then half the production of Harlan and about the same as Screaming Eagle. On average, Levy & McClellans case production will be less then that of Screaming Eagle.

As of right now, there is no waiting list to get into Levy & McClellan.  But, I will say this right now, given the great history of these 2 great winemakers, it will not take long for their list to fill up and a very long waiting list to form.   Another thing I will say, given the history of the two winemakers, it is not if, but WHEN they have the first of several 100 point wines to come.

If you are looking to get into the next great, ultra premium Cult Winery, then Levy & McClellan is the one to join, but be prepared, the price you will pay is very high. 

Scarecrow - Don't let the interesting name fool you.  This is another winery with very limited case production.  Their first vintage the 2003 Scarecrow had 471 cases.   It also got a 98 point rating and the price per bottle is noticeably less then Levy & McClellan.   Like Levy & McClellan and other cult wineries, their wines are very cellar worthy. 

Their 2003 Vintage, the one that got the 98 point rating, sold out at a very fast rate.  Scarecrow is a winery I would rate as the 2nd best up and coming cult wine.  As of now they have no waiting list to get in, but it is just a matter of time before a waiting list has to be formed.   The winemaker Celia Masyczek has a great history of making excellent wines for Staglin Estate, and is off to a great start with Scarecrow.   With Staglin, Celia has given them several 94 point rated wines.  And that great winemaking has carried over to Scarecrow.

Larkmead - before I go any further, I am not sure if this would actually fall into the Cult Wine category, but when I visited their winery they said they will be closing their mailing list and form a waiting list by no later then the end of this summer(2007).  

This winery actually was founded in 1895, and they sold most of their fruit to other wineries.  The fruit from their vineyards is some of the most prized fruit by wineries looking to purchase top of the line fruit for their wines. 

Larkmead's standard wines are more available, but it is their LMV Salon and their Solari Reserve wines that are of limited production, wines that many wine lovers are after.  Their wines have gotten many high ratings.  Their wines are outstanding, and if you like wines that are made more like a Bordeaux this is a great winery to become a member of.

I do not believe that Larkmead will ever achieve top flight Cult status, but they look to be a winery that will have a waiting list in the very near future and it could be a permanent thing with them in having this waiting list. 

As I finish this, I am noticing that more and more I am really liking the Calistoga to region of Napa the most.  Maybe it is because more of the wineries there seem to have more the Bordeaux qualities to their wines, but I absolutely love the wines coming from Calistoga.

Well, there you have it.  If you are interested in becoming part of the cult wine culture, you now know of two, maybe three wineries you can get into before it is too late.  Are there other cult wineries coming up that I missed?  Yes.  In no way can I keep up with all of it.  I just do this for fun and like sharing what knowledge I gain.   I want to see people enjoy life, make the most of it.  Hopefully this small amount of information helps anyone interested in getting into the cult wine craze.