Winemaker Notes
Volcanic Hill is comprised of 8 acres of south facing hillside vineyard. It is the warmest of all our micro-climates. The color of the soil is gray, and the consistency is that of fluffy, volcanic ash, originally deposited from the eruption of Mt. Konocti 8 million years ago.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Despite hard-as-nails mountain tannins, this Cabernet has a soft fleshiness that makes it drinkable now. The blackberry and black currant flavors have an umami, protein tanginess, like beef tartare, which smoky oak pairs nicely with, like salt and pepper. You can pop the cork now, but this is a wine that will develop over the next 10-15 years.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Very tight and dense, with firm loamy earth, dried berry, cedar, tobacco and sage notes that are all well-proportioned, an often underappreciated aspect of Diamond Creek's Cabernets. Needs time. Best from 2014 through 2024. 490 cases made.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.