Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill 2005

In 1968 Albert Jack Brounstein smuggled a few vines of a mysterious Bordeaux First Growth Estate through Mexico and planted them in a small plot in the Diamond Creek Canyon in the Napa Valley.  Who would have thought that 53 years later, the wines of Diamond Creek would be poured alongside some of the greatest wines in the world?  Wines like Domaine Romaneé Conti, Château d’Yquem, and – perhaps the same Bordeaux First Growth estates whose vines gave birth to this incredible, groundbreaking Napa Valley producer.  Diamond Creek is one of the first terroir-driven single vineyard estates to have emerged from the Napa Valley.  It is a producer of great historical significance to the region that also epitomizes everything that is essential about the unique terroirs in this special place.  A true Cabernet-lover’s dream!

Albert "Al" Brounstein, and his wife, Adelle "Boots", were pioneers of the Napa valley.  Al was a colorful personality.  He was the type of individual who once he set his sights on accomplishing a task, followed through to the end with relentless determination.  Following a successful career in pharmaceutical sales, Al fell in love with winemaking after taking a wine class at UCLA.  He spent his weekends working at Ridge Vineyards prior to visiting Diamond Creek Canyon.  The second he set foot in this special Napa Valley AVA, he fell in love and said nine words.  “I love this spot, I’m going to buy it.” That was all it took.  After smuggling some vines from one of the First Growth Estates in Bordeaux, he got to work.  With a meticulous obsession, Al and his wife Adelle, who went by Boots, discovered that Diamond Creek had a series of individually distinctive microclimates.  This gave them both the idea to create individual, single vineyard wines that would highlight these special terroirs.  Though this is fairly commonplace now, back in the day it was revolutionary. When Al passed away in 2006, Boots continued and carried on the couple's vision for Diamond Creek.  After she died in 2019 at the age of 92, the Rouzard family of the world-renowned Maison Louis Roderer and close friends of the Brounsteins, took over operations at this estate.  They honor the legacy of the Brounsteins and continue oto tirelessly work in the vineyards and craft top notch wine.

The Gravelly Meadow site was planted in 1968 on pebbly brown soil, and rests in approximately 5 acres of the estate.  The pebbled, porous, brown soils drain rapidly which give the vines of Cabernet Sauvignon just the perfect amount of stress.  Though the elevation is high, at 550 feet, it is much flatter here than other parts of the property.  The vines are all harvested by hand, as at Diamond Creek they are farmers first and foremost.  After the harvest, the wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks and aged in 100% New French Oak. There’s a distinctive mineral quality to the Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow wine.  The tannins are well-defined and elegant.  One can expect some earthy characteristics, with black fruit flavors such as currant, plum, and blackberry.  For those who like a restrained and elegant expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, the Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow wine is a fantastic choice for any connoisseur.

"The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill has a saturated ruby/purple color that’s generally as dense and dark as the Red Rock Terrace. Deep crème de cassis, crushed rock, spring flower and blueberry notes are all present. This full-bodied wine is deep, backward, and probably just as young and youthful for a ten-year-old as the Red Rock Terrace. With plenty of tannin, beautiful fruit and great purity, this should turn into something special as well, but it needs another five or more years of bottle age. It’s hard to pick a favorite between this and the Red Rock Terrace, but if you’re looking for earlier drinkability, Gravelly Meadow wins hands-down. This is another 20- to 25-year wine, and that’s from 2015, not from 2005." - Robert Parker Jr, The Wine Advocate (6/28/2015, Issue 219), Ratings: 95+, Drink: 2015-2040