Winemaker Notes
Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Vibrant, ripe and rich plums with blackberries and cassis lead to a palate that has an ultra-silky, smooth and supple texture, as well as a very rich, ripe core of blackberries and plums. Long, silky finish.
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Wine & Spirits
Rudy von Strasser’s latest blend, from a range of sources on Diamond Mountain, is a knockout. Since he sold his estate vineyard, he has rejiggered this wine; for 2016, he focused on the most concentrated lots in his cellar. The wine has a range of fresh wild-berry flavor, clean, pure notes of blackberries, mulberries and blueberries that completely saturate the earthiness of the tannins. The fruit incorporates those rocky tannins into an overall impression that’s gentle and rich. Fresh, floral and substantial, this is approachable as a young wine and beautifully balanced for a long life ahead.
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.