Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Deep plum, blueberry and raspberry; lush and dense with velvety texture and lovely acid structure; bright and juicy with spectacular depth and finesse; stunning now with a great aging potential.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon from their estate on Diamond Mountain is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Malbec. A beauty, with raspberry, blueberry and even blacker fruits, the wine has a lusciousness, with silky tannins and real charm. If Châteaux Margaux made wine on Diamond Mountain it might well taste like this beauty. This is first-growth all the way: beautiful purity, symmetry, harmony and an ethereal lightness in spite of the richness and intensity. This is quite an achievement and already drinkable, but should continue to evolve nicely for 10-15+ years.
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Wine Enthusiast
With a healthy 17% Malbec in the mix, this is the producer’s top-tier still wine, from a range of vineyard blocks above its winery. Named for one of its founders, Jack Davies, it does him proud, combining spicy clove, cinnamon and black fruit around a fulsome, tannic and concentrated body with structure to age. It finishes with elegance and peppery spice. Editors' Choice.
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Wine Spectator
Pure, rich, vivid blackberry and wild berry flavors form the core, with spicy notes of savory herb and cedary oak. Gains depth and plushness as the tannic strength develops.
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.