When it comes to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, those priced under $50 can fall into no-man's land--they're not expensive enough to attract attention from 'serious' buyers and collectors, yet are too expensive for bargain hunters.

Yet many under-$50 Napa Cabs taste as good, and in some cases better, than their more expensive counterparts.  All they lack is cachet, because they're produced in such large quantities as to be too easy to find, with no thrill to the chase … or they come from wineries that have been in business for decades and aren't the hot new thing … or they aren't made by a famous consulting winemaker … or the price is too low, suggesting that at $50, the wine must taste half as good as a $100 wine ... or the brand is owned by a large corporation, and thus the wine cannot possibly be any good, can it?

There is no denying the excitement of tasting a Cabernet Sauvignon from the likes of Harlan Estate, Araujo, Screaming Eagle, Paul Hobbs, Bryant Family and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, with their price tags in the hundreds of dollars (Screaming Eagle is up to $500) and their hard-to-obtain status stimulating even more drool.  But most of these wines are snagged by mailing list members and top restaurants, and never get into the retail stream; the average wine drinker has little chance of buying a bottle of Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($250) without having an inside track or the bucks to buy at auction.

Because someone is willing to pay this price, the wine will be sold for that.  It's a simple case of supply vs. demand.

Yet skim the cream from this crop and there are plenty of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons that are available, reasonably priced and utterly delicious, with complexity and true varietal character.  In particular, the under-$50 crowd is under-appreciated, for the reasons stated above, yet I continue to taste wines in this price category that represent Napa Valley Cabernet admirably.  True, $45 may still be beyond one's every-day-drinking budget, but such is the high-flying world of Napa Valley wine.  If you gotta have Napa, the wines below are gotta-haves. 

None of these Cabs are over-oaked or over-extracted.  All have crisp acidity to cleanse the palate and freshen the fruit flavors.  While firm tannin is the signature of Cabernet Sauvignon--and these wines definitely have it--they aren't drying or astringent, and aren't so tannic as to remove tooth enamel.  Some might soften and improve with cellaring, yet all are drinkable now. 

Most of the 2003s listed are still in the market, although the 2004s are creeping onto shelves and wine lists.  The 2003 California Cabernet Sauvignon vintage was criticized by one influential U.S. wine publication as being sub-par, yet there are many--that's many--beautiful wines from 2003 that deliver a satisfying bang for the buck. 

The prices given are the suggested retail prices provided by the wineries.  In most cases, these wines can be purchased for much less at large-volume, heavily discounted stores.  Watch for great deals on the last of the 2003s, which producers and retailers want to move out to make way for the 2004 vintage. 

Though no such list of this sort can be all-inclusive, here are some stellar under-$50 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, from 2003 and 2004, that should be on any Cab-lover's radar.  There's also a ringer here, a Meritage-style, Cabernet-dominant blend that, at $40, tastes so much more expensive than it is that it deserves mention.

Atlas Peak, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($42): Originally focused on Sangiovese from the Atlas Peak AVA within Napa Valley, this producer's gaze has shifted to Cabernet Sauvignon, from Atlas Peak as well as Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain and Mount Veeder.  The sub-appellational wines are $86 a bottle, yet the Napa Valley blend from these four regions is just as good, at half the price.  It's polished and approachable, with exotic black fruit, chocolate, mincemeat and cedar aromas and flavors, with ripe tannins and crisp acidity.  91

Burgess, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($30): Burgess and balance go hand in hand, melding the big, brawny style of Napa Cabernet with subtlety and sly richness.  The enticing nose has sweet cassis, cigar box and creamy vanilla; the palate follows with black cherry and hints of tar, chocolate and vanilla.  There is good richness and depth here, and also a cedary herbaceousness, nervy acidity and a dried-cherry note on the finish that make it great with food.  It's old-school and underappreciated.  90

Charles Krug, Yountville Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($26): Guided by Peter Mondavi Jr., this pioneering yet underperforming producer has made huge strides in quality of late, investing in new plantings (most of them organic) and separating its winemaking facilities and teams from its fighting-varietal CK Mondavi line.  This clean, focused wine has a juicy black cherry/cassis center, dark chocolate, toast and cigar box notes, and refreshing acidity.  It's a harbinger of great things to come from this re-invigorated winery.  89   

Girard, Napa Valley (California) Red Wine "Artistry" 2003 ($40): Here's the ringer, because it doesn't have the requisite 75% Cabernet Sauvignon to be labeled as such (it's 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, with lesser amounts of Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot).  Yet this wine is so impressive at this price that it can't go unmentioned.  The tannins are ripe, the texture supple and there is admirable richness in the cassis, blackberry, vanilla and cocoa aromas and flavors.  Oak spice and dried herbs in the background add interest, and good acidity gives the wine a clean, refreshing finish.  94

Hess, Allomi Vineyard Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($25): This new, single-vineyard wine from the Hess Collection delivers tremendous value and delicious drinking, yet has enough stuffing to satisfy those who pay twice as much for Napa Cabernet.  Juicy black cherry and raspberry fruit is tinged with cola, green olive and anise notes and the mouthcoating tannins are round and supple, making it ideal for immediate enjoyment.  88

Louis M.  Martini, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($24): Martini's best 'Napa Valley' Cabernet in years is also one of the category's best bargains.  Relatively new owner E. & J. Gallo has invested in people, equipment and grapes, and it shows in the quality and polish of this wine, with its deep, juicy black-fruit aromas and flavors, judicious use of oak, firm yet integrated tannins and crunchy acidity.  Martini wines are known to age spectacularly, so try this one in 2017 to see how it evolves.  89

Mount Veeder, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($40): This has commendable balance for its intense, mountain-grow fruit (vineyards are planted as high as 1,600 feet in elevation) and solid structure.  The tannins, while quite obvious, are also supple and ripe, nicely balancing the almost-jammy black raspberry and plum fruit.  Complexity comes from hints of cola, spice and creamy oak, and the acidity is mouthwatering.  Drink now or cellar for up to 10 years.  91

Pine Ridge, Rutherford Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($48): This infant is tight and a bit closed now, but give it some time in bottle, and aeration once opened, and it should reveal Rutherford's dusty cocoa character, plus cassis and black cherry fruit, notes of cedar and vanilla and an attractive leafy complexity that doesn't show up much anymore in Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.  89

Provenance, Rutherford Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($42): I marvel at winemaker Tom Rinaldi's tasting notes on this wine, which include "mescal," "beeswax," "soy" and "French vanilla ice cream."  Those descriptors don't pop into my head, but I agree with Rinaldi on this wine's supple, approachable style, luscious black cherry and damson plum fruit and hints of dark chocolate, minerals and spicy oak.  There's also a touch of typical Rutherford dust in the texture.  Superb balance.  90

Robert Mondavi Winery, Oakville Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($40): Priced at the mid-range of RMW's Cabernet Sauvignon line, this wine delivers a high-end blast of black cherry and black plum fruit, a tart cranberry finish and mouthcoating tannins.  It is rich, ripe and racy, with admirable balance.  While less complex, the 2004 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is also a great buy at $27.  92   

Terra Valentine, Spring Mountain District (Napa Valley, California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($35): The jumbo tannins and concentrated fruit flavors (black plum, blackberry) in this wine come from grapes grown in mountain vineyards, so cellaring for five years or more is advised for those willing to wait.  The bigger-is-better, drink-now crowd will be rewarded with deep, rich fruit, coffee, chocolate and black olive notes, a cedary edge and crushed-stone minerality.  It's big, yes; hard-edged, no.  91

Linda Murphy is the West Coast correspondent for Decanter magazine and jancis robinson.com, both based in London, and contributes to Food & Wine magazine, Wine Access and the San Francisco Chronicle, where she was the wine editor from 2003 to 2006. A longtime resident of Sonoma County, Linda also was the managing editor for WineToday.com, the New York Times' wine Web site, and in another life, a sportswriter for the San Diego Union newspaper.