In the world of Napa Valley wines, Yountville doesn’t have the big names of, say, Oakville, its neighbor to the north. It’s better known for its restaurants – the French Laundry, Bouchon, Redd, to name a few. But the area that now makes up the Yountville AVA has a rich history of viticulture and a moderate climate that makes it suitable for a wide range of grape varieties – not just cabernet sauvignon, though that’s mostly what was on display at the recent First Taste of Yountville.

George Yount planted the Napa Valley’s first vineyards in 1839 in the Yountville area. It’s in a sweet spot, climate-wise: far enough south to feel the cooling influence of San Pablo Bay, but far enough north to be able to ripen heat-loving grapes like cabernet sauvignon. Yountville received AVA status in 1999.

As is the case elsewhere in the valley (with the exception of Carneros), cabernet is king in Yountville. For me, the best Yountville cabs combine the lush ripeness and structure that are common throughout Napa Valley with a lovely freshness and savory quality. That’s what you find in one of the AVA’s most famous wines, Dominus, from the estate owned by Christian Mouiex of Chateau Pétrus in Bordeaux. Dominus, a cab-dominant blend, is a big, powerful wine that usually exhibits savory notes of cedar and anise, as is the case with the 2013, which will be released in June. The wine’s little sister, Napanook, has a very similar flavor profile but is a little less powerful (and less than half the price).

Ad Vivum is the cabernet sauvignon project of Chris Phelps, who spent a dozen years at Dominus. The 2012 Ad Vivum Sleeping Beauty Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has that savory quality that I like, with bright black fruit, notes of cedar and anise and a drying finish. It’s built to age.

Grgich Hills, best known for chardonnay, make a wonderful cab from vines planted in Yountville in 1959. The 2012 Grgich Hills Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon is lively, elegant and balanced, with black cherry, anise and fine tannins.

Two more Yountville cabs worth noting are the 2012 Pina Napa Valley Wolff Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a little minty, with ripe black fruit, fine tannins and a long finish, and the 2012 Corley Family State Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, which is powerful and structured, with ample fruit and a note of black olive. Both wineries also poured older vintages; the 2005 version of the Corley wine was still quite fresh and showing particularly well.

One disappointment about this year’s First Taste was the paucity of sauvignon blanc, which in other years has been well-represented. But there was a more unusual, delicious white being poured: the 2014 Kapcsandy Family Furmint-Muscat Blanc. Furmint, the principal grape in Hungary’s Tokaji dessert wines, isn’t a grape you would expect to see in the Napa Valley, but Lou Kapcsandy is originally from Hungary and grows about three-quarters of an acre of the variety. The wine is very floral, crisp and refreshing.