Malbec is a French variety, historically associated with Cahors in the southwest. California acreage has grown more than tenfold since 2000, from 325 to 3,891 bearing acres in 2025, spread across 36 counties. San Joaquin, Napa, and Monterey are its leading counties, together holding around 45 percent of the statewide total. It produces deeply colored, softly tannic wine and is grown in California mainly as a blending grape for red blends, though varietal bottlings have become more common as plantings expand.
What kind of grape this is
- Approved on a US label
- Malbec
- FPS selections
- 12
the names TTB permits on a bottle
distinct clones and selections held at UC Davis
Registries
What is published
Counts describe what this atlas holds for Malbec, not what California grows. A zero is a published answer: it means the source names the grape and reports nothing under it, or does not name it at all.
- 691
county-years of acreage
36 counties, 3,891 bearing acres in 2025
- 411
district-years of crush
17 of 17 crush districts, 26 crop years
- 411
district-years of Brix
tonnage-weighted at the crusher, Crush Report Table 3
- 46
producers in this atlas
producers whose curated wine list names it — a curated roster of 2,772 producers, not a census of California
- —
regions with a maturity date
not one of the eight cultivars with a
Acreage in California
loading acreage…
Counties and concentration
loading concentration…
Where it is planted
Reported by county — never by AVA
loading plantings…
Share of each county's vineyard
Reported by county — never by AVA
loading county shares…
The counties
Reported by county — never by AVA
loading counties…
Tonnage and price by district
Reported by crush district — never by county or AVA
All 17 districts on one axis →
loading crush report…
Brix at the crusher
Reported by crush district — never by county or AVA
loading must chemistry…
Growers in this atlas's roster
- Alexander Valley Vineyardsbottled
Winery · CYRUS, Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alpha Omegabottled
Winery · Era, Malbec Napa Valley, Proprietary Red Atlas Peak and 1 more
- Beaulieu Vineyardbottled
Winery · Madame de Latour Red Blend, Reserve Malbec, Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 more
- Bel Vinobottled
Winery · Malbec
- Bernardo Winerybottled
Winery · Malbec Merlot
- Black Stallion Winerybottled
Winery · Majestic Shadow, Meritage Red Wine
- Brassfield Estatebottled
Winery · Kendra
- Charles Krugbottled
Winery · Limited Release Malbec
- Chateau St. Jeanbottled
Winery · 8555 Red Blend, 8555 Reserve Cuvee, Cinq Cepages and 6 more
- Clos du Valbottled
Winery · Estate Malbec, Stags Leap District, Yettalil
- Crocker & Starrbottled
Winery · Casali Malbec
- Darioushbottled
Winery · Library Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Signature Merlot
and 34 more in the roster.
46 of this atlas’s 2772 curated producers, 31 of them with a named wine in the atlas made from it. A roster is not a census — this is who the atlas has entered, not who grows the grape in California.