1997 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill

Community Tasting Notes (37) Avg Score: 93.5 points

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  7/20/2023 - Joealex Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Almost black in color with a minimal ruby ​​rim. An intense bouquet dominated by red fruits: raspberries, cherries and red currants, mixed with mint, tar and a delicate earthiness.
  
  In taste, the wine is medium body, there is not too much extract, alcohol is only 12.5% and does not bother. The tannins are soft and perfectly integrated, you can still feel a large amount of them, creating the structure of the wine together with very good acidity. As in the bouquet, you can taste raspberries, cherries and mint. The style of the wine is elegant, it is not massive or heavy, it could be thrown in as a "joker" in blind tasting of high-end Bordeaux wines and probably most people (including me) would not guess that it is a pure Californian Cabernet Sauvignon. Very similar to Volcanic Hill 1994 although it is even better because it is a bit richer and more complex and reflects the character of the 1997 vingate in Napa.
  
  Fully mature, layered, intense despite a certain lightness, a wine in which it is difficult to find any weak points or fault, and in addition it is intellectually satisfying, so the rating must be "great"

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  4/22/2023 - Cailles wrote: 97 Points

  No notes taken. Tasted double blind. Wow, an incredible wine, very complex with a beautiful, ever changing sweetness from at times porty fruit, then dried fruit and to fresh blue and dark fruit. Loads and loads of malty notes, caramel, at times nutty aromas and chocolate. Melted tannins, good freshness and in the best moments superb tension. This was quite a rollercoaster from great to a bit weakish and over-the-hill. Others liked it less but I followed over several glasses and the whole evening and the others, who didn‘t like it, were just wrong :). The bottle (ie cork) was obviously not correct as it was far more advanced (I would have guessed 50s to early 70s Bordeaux), but what was in the glas was glorious. 97/98pts, ignoring the weaker moments.

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  4/19/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 91 Points

  This was unfortunately a bad bottle, even if still somehow enjoyable. Milky color and texture. Rum-like and malty aromatics, but also sweet red berry. Felt and looked way more matured but not without appeal and the palate was intact with more malty aromas and a satin texture.

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  4/9/2023 - Jhalpern27 Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Very nice aged Napa Valley Cab, short 1hr decant and this baby came alive.

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  4/21/2022 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 94 Points

  beautiful on night one, even better on night two (after gassing up and fridging over night)... deep rich, darkish red fruit in copious amount... but the age allowed for the full'ish body to remain elegant... wow, lovely red warm fruit and herbs on the nose... again, wow

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