Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Where Girard’s estate Cab is beautiful now, their Diamond Mountain bottling is one for the cellar. Veteran winemaker Marco DiGiulio has applied his considerable experience, with classic results. The wine is marked by firm tannins that make it astringent and sticky. But underneath all that is an explosion of currant, plum, licorice, chocolate and spicy curry flavor that dazzles. Should easily age for a long time in a proper cellar. Production was a paltry 325 cases, and worth the search.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Slightly more earthy, displaying hints of burning embers, creme de cassis, new saddle leather, plums, and spice, is the full-bodied, powerful, opaque ruby/purple-tinged 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain. With loads of potential, with 2-3 years of cellaring, it should turn out to be as good as the Pritchard Hill. When Leslie Rudd purchased the old Girard estate, resurrected a new winery, and replanted much of the Oakville vineyards, the Rudd Estate became increasingly well-known, and the name “Girard” was seemingly forgotten. However, these Girard cuvees beg for attention.
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Wine Spectator
Offers a smooth, rich core of earthy currant, wild berry, mineral and sage, along with the structure, focus, concentration and depth to merit your attention. Ends with a long, layered, complex finish. Best from 2011 through 2018. 325 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.