Davies J. Davies Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
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Winemaker Notes
This Cabernet opens with rich aromas of blackberry, cherry and dried floral elements, accentuated by undertones of vanilla, clove and milk chocolate. Integrated tannins anchor the wine’s well-structured palate, where a concentrated and powerful entry of plum, black currant and raspberry leads to a smooth finish with a touch of cocoa powder and graphite.
Blend: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, 2% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, 2% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2015 J. Davies Diamond Mountain has a deep garnet-purple color and offers up classic black currant, black plum and mulberry scents with hints of cigar box, yeast extract and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied with a great core of black berry and earthy layers, the fruit is supported by grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with a pleasant herbal lift.
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Wine Spectator
The baked berry pie flavors are compelling, with blueberry, blackberry and wild berry notes, turning supple and graceful. Impressive, offering drink-me-now allure and cellaring possibilities. Best from 2020 through 2032.
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Wine Enthusiast
This blends the main variety with 16% Malbec and smaller pinches of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The resulting wine is robust and well built, softly structured and punctuated in flavors of bold red cherry and plum. Rich, it shows some restraint and ultimately balance, the fruit integrated with oak and tannin.
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Wine & Spirits
Bright and rich, this wine’s dark-berry flavors are accented by herbal notes of sage and foresty scents of madrone and mushrooms. Those flavors are powerfully compressed even as the wine still feels composed—“big, but not too big,” as one taster described it. This cabernet is suited to aging, or to a thick-cut sirloin.
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In 1965, Jack and Jamie Davies began reviving the historic Schramsberg winery property in Napa Valley. They challenged conventional ideas and relied on innovation to craft the first world-class, American, méthode traditionelle sparkling wines produced from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In the 1990s, a second generation of the Davies family undertook replanting the estate on Diamond Mountain to red Bordeaux varieties, and J. Davies Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was launched with the 2001 vintage. In 2014, the family released the compelling and balanced 2012 Davies Vineyards single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, a logical evolution based on over 40 years’ experience with cool-climate Pinot Noir sites and grapes in the North Coast.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Diamond Mountain is the northernmost mountain appellation in the Mayacamas Range, on the northwest side of the valley floor, above the town of Calistoga. Defined mainly by elevation, vineyards are planted at 400 to 2,200 feet.
Diamond Mountain vineyards receive plenty of sunshine at these elevations and are typically above the coastal fog line. But given its western proximity, the area still easily cools down from early morning and late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes. The AVA (American Viticultural Area) covers 5,000 acres but just over 500 acres are under vine.
Diamond Mountain soils, mainly weathered, red sedimentary rock and decomposed, volcanic ash, are infertile, quick-draining and produce small, thick-skinned grapes, bursting with chewy tannins.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Zinfandel have great success here.
Like other sub-appellations in Napa Valley, the Diamond Mountain area had no shortage of pioneer winemakers. Rudy von Strasser led the effort for Diamond Mountain to acquire AVA status in 1999.