Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow Cabernet Sauvignon (3 Liter) 2016

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Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow Cabernet Sauvignon (3 Liter) 2016  Front Bottle Shot
Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow Cabernet Sauvignon (3 Liter) 2016  Front Bottle Shot Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow Cabernet Sauvignon (3 Liter) 2016  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2016

Size
3000ML

ABV
14.5%

Features
Collectible

Boutique

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Professional Ratings

  • 100

    The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow is made up of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Very deep purple-black colored, it sashays out of the glass with beautifully provocative black cherries, blueberry compote and warm cassis scents followed by candied violets, molten chocolate, licorice and fallen leaves plus hints of black olives and lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals explosive energy wrapped in a silken carpet of exquisitely fine-grained tannins, finishing with amazing freshness and perfume. Gorgeous.

  • 96
    Black-licorice and blackberry aromas with hints of iron and hot stone. Full-bodied, dense and layered with a soft, succulent feel. Juicy and delicious aftertaste. Drink or hold. Better after 2021.
  • 95
    An old-school European style with a great nose of toffee, mocha with blackcurrants and dried herbs. Grippy structure and fresh acidity; this is a youthful wine that will age gracefully. Grown in the soils of a prehistoric river bed, these gravels drain well and the vine’s roots to penetrate deeply.
  • 95

    Slightly more open than either of its two mates at this point and very arguably the most polished of the bunch, this year’s Gravelly Meadow is a Cabernet of considerable depth and refinement with abundant cassis and black cherry fruit neatly teamed with deftly fit oak. Despite being fairly supple in feel and relatively easy to taste at the moment, it is has the stamina to age famously, and, if likely to reach its peak a bit sooner than its Red Rock Terrace sibling, it very much deserves to be laid away and allowed to reach its full, multi-layered potential some six to ten years in the future.

  • 95
    Broad and deep, with dark plum and blackberry preserve flavors rolling along, lined with ganache and roasted alder notes. Savory, bay leaf and tobacco hints flitter in the background, adding energy, texture and detail. Will need some time. Best from 2022 through 2040.
  • 94

    From a five-acre section of the vineyard, this classic red is blended with 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Crushed rock, red fruit and warm baking spices combine around a grippy midpalate of leather, clove and tobacco—the power gracefully persistent. The finish is brambly and bright. Allow this youthful wine to age; enjoy best from 2026–2031.

  • 94
    COMMENTARY: The 2016 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow Cabernet Sauvignon shows its elegant side as it brings black fruit and earth to the fore. TASTING NOTES: This wine defines the Napa Valley, as well as any Cab, can. Its powerful black fruit and earth flavors are rounded nicely in a supple texture on the palate. (Tasted: August 19, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
  • 92

    New oak gives this wine an initial blush of sweetness, but as the flavors open up, the impression is completely savory. This grows in a gravel wash on the south bank of Diamond Creek, a cool site tucked into a manzanita grove. In 2016, the vines were closing in on 50 years, and the wine they offered evokes roses, soil and manzanita bark more than any direct fruit. There’s a black olive tone to preface what fruit will emerge with bottle age; as for now, the wine feels youthful and restrained.

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Diamond Creek

Diamond Creek

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Diamond Creek, California
Diamond Creek Winery Image

Diamond Creek, California's first "Cabernet only" estate vineyard, was established in 1968. Visionary pioneer, Al Brounstein, defied modern convention and planted Bordeaux varietals on secluded Diamond Mountain. The three distinct soil types on theis 20-acre property produce different single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons. Light ash soild of Volcanic Hill is in sharp contrast to the iron-rich Red Rock Terrace and the pebbly Gravelly Meadow. Each year, the estate produces a small amount of long-lived wines that are revered by connoisseurs the world over.

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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.

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Diamond Mountain Wine

Napa Valley, California

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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.

PIN917684_2016 Item# 544716

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