(Wine Searcher) - Does Napa Valley have too much Cabernet? The question informed most of last month's Vineyard Economics Symposium.

There is no easy answer, and your opinion may depend on your time frame. Currently it's the most profitable grape variety, so in 2018, the answer has to be "no." There's going to be even more Cab in the next three years, based on planted acres that aren't yet bearing fruit, so growers clearly feel the immediate future is coming up Cab.

What about the longterm? Could a Cab correction be in the offing? Some speakers thought so. But for now, Cab's dominance is only growing.

In 2018, Napa Valley has more Cabernet Sauvignon than ever before – 47 percent of the planted acreage in the valley, with Chardonnay second at 15 percent. Merlot is third at 11 percent, but much of that Merlot will end up in bottles of Cabernet.