Winemaker Notes
The 2012 Jamie holds dark perfumed aromas of blueberry jam combined with cocoa, vanilla cream, and tobacco. The palate is bold, complex and fruitful. Flavors of loganberry and blackberry mingle with dark chocolate, and are seamlessly brought together with fine grain tannins that sustain a long and youthful finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Jamie might be their Château Latour if the Diamond Mountain cuvée is their Margaux. This is stunning. Floral notes mixed with crème de cassis and minerals dominate this full-bodied, beautifully etched wine with supple, silky tannins and layered, rich fruit that build incrementally to a full-bodied opulent, but stunningly pure and complex wine. This is brilliant stuff and should drink well for 15-20 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
As impressive as the woman—a pioneer in the Napa Valley—was herself, this 100% varietal wine from the estate property high atop Diamond Mountain is powerfully elegant, intense yet refined. It begins with a high-toned, graceful entry that's rich in blueberry and chocolate, the oak smooth and integrated, with a suggestion of hand-rolled tobacco. Drink now through 2022. Cellar Selection
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James Suckling
Dried flowers with lots of black currants and some sweet tobacco. This is rich, full-bodied and juicy with chewy tannins. It has a wonderful intensity yet it remains constrained. Beautiful cabernet from the Diamond district. Long finish.
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.