Our take
Educated Guess Californian Cabernet Sauvignon Wine
- Style
- Red wine
- Size
- 750 ml
- Grape
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Region
- Napa Valley
- Shelf barcode
- 0898079001000
Our take
What we make of this bottle
The label calls this a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon, and the producer's own technical sheet for the current 2023 vintage bears that out: it lists the appellation simply as California, with fruit from two named vineyards, Crimson Ridge in Lake County and a family-owned site in Lodi, not from Napa Valley. Roots Run Deep sells several Cabernet Sauvignons under its Educated Guess name, including separate Napa County and North Coast tiers; this wide, California-appellation bottling is a distinct wine from those, and the appellation on the label is the broadest one California offers.
In our September 2026 checks the price ranged from $24.99 to $42.99. We do not have a shopper rating for this wine. Roots Run Deep Winery says its founder, Mark Albrecht, started the company in 2005 and paid for the first Educated Guess vintage by selling his house.
The producer's tech sheet for this bottling lists a blend of 89 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with 9 percent Petite Sirah and 2 percent Malbec, given 15 months in French oak, and finishing at 14.1 percent alcohol. Wine Enthusiast scored the wine 91 points, though the producer's own sheet notes that score was earned by the prior 2022 vintage, not the 2023 wine now on shelves, an honest distinction the producer draws on its own paperwork. The producer's tasting note describes the finished wine as showing "dark cherry, blackberry, and ripe plum" with "a strong mocha finish," the producer's words.
Our call: worth a look if a founder's story and a producer that discloses its blend and oak schedule in writing are enough to go on; Roots Run Deep says its founder sold his own house to fund the first Educated Guess vintage, and the tech sheet for this bottling states the blend, the oak time and the alcohol content plainly. Pass if you want the accolade printed on that sheet to mean something here; the 91-point score belongs to the prior vintage, not the wine on the shelf now, and no shopper rating has reached our record to weigh in independently.
The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Sep 16, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.
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Read our take →The prices we checked
Dated store checks, not a promise about your store.
- Kroger, Atlanta suburbs, GA$35.49
- Kroger, Cincinnati, OH$27.99
- Ralphs, Long Beach, CA$30.99
- Fred Meyer, Portland, OR$40.99
- King Soopers, Colorado Springs, CO$24.99
- Smith's, Las Vegas, NV$32.99
- Kroger, Knoxville, TN$28.99
- Kroger, Richmond, VA$37.99
- QFC, Tacoma, WA$42.99
The regular price can vary by store and date.
From the producer
Founded 2005 by Mark Albrecht
Roots Run Deep Winery says founder Mark Albrecht started the company in 2005, funding the first vintage of its Educated Guess wine by selling his house.
Research status
What we are still checking
Our overview above draws on the dated store feed, shopper ratings, our region and grape research, and any sourced producer facts. We are still working to confirm the current release, the full producer record, and the bottle itself, and we update this page as we learn more.
Getting to know Napa Valley.
Napa Valley is only about 30 miles long, yet its floor, hillsides and mountain sites differ sharply. The valley name establishes origin, while a nested AVA or vineyard gives a closer reading of place.
What the name means
Napa Valley has been a federally recognized American Viticultural Area since 1981. Seventeen smaller AVAs now sit within its boundary.
How grapes grow here
The valley has a dry Mediterranean climate. San Pablo Bay cools the south, summer afternoons grow warmer toward the north, and fog lowers overnight temperatures across much of the valley.
What lies under the vines
Volcanic, marine and river activity created unusually varied ground. Napa Valley Vintners reports half of the world's twelve soil orders and 33 soil series within the region.
How large the region is
- Land under cultivation
- 47,216 acres, or 19,108 hectares, are reported under cultivation.
- Nested AVAs
- 17 approved AVAs sit within the Napa Valley AVA.
Places within the region
- Valley floor
- Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Yountville are among the nested floor and benchland AVAs.
- Hills and edges
- Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Los Carneros show how elevation and bay influence change within the valley.
Getting to know Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a red grape grown in many wine regions. It often makes firmly built wines and is also a common part of red blends.
Category guide
What to expect in the glass
Regional authorities describe black currant, cherry and plum as common fruit references, with noticeable tannin and possible spice from oak. Ripeness, climate and winemaking can move the wine from lean and herbal to broad and fruit-led.
Sources: Napa Valley Vintners. Checked Aug 10, 2026. See all 163 Cabernet Sauvignon wines we cover →
Where this information comes from
- Store listing
- Price, package, product identifier. Checked Aug 10, 2026.
- Barcode
- The shelf barcode shown here is computed from the store product identifier. It has not been checked against a bottle.
- Method
- Every price, rating and fact here is a dated observation. How we check.