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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.6 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 27 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by paulst on 3/7/2024 & rated 95 points: Earth; lean; precise; narrow blackberry; complex finish. (401 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 3/6/2024 & rated 95 points: Dinner with Paul and Jeff (The George Town Club - DC): Despite being forty years old, it remains very youthful character with an abundance of generous fruit. A hint of cassis but mostly red fruit, plum and cherry, scorched earth, lead pencil, a hint of green, leather and crushed rocks. Excellent concentration, generous red and black fruit, rich and unctuous but also fluid, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a long ripe red fruit driven finish with ash at the end. This reminds me the 92 Phillip Togni cab a bit, but more oaky, perhaps sweet American oak. May be a combination of Togni and Montebello. It doesn't have the complexity of a great Bordeaux but shows a lot of fruit. Really enjoyable and no need to hurry. (471 views) | | | Tasted by NostraBacchus on 6/27/2022 & rated 96 points: Healthy ruby color ligthening up towards the rim. Notes of red cherries, some cassis, leather, graphite, some volcanic notes, smoke, cedar, cinnamon, tobacco. It's medium-full bodied, has high acidity carrying the wine and some medium- tannin that is super silky. Pretty long finish. An excellent Diamond Creek, super fresh, cool, full of tension and pretty complex, even at age 38. Breathtaking bottle that was perfectly stored and in perfect condition. (1076 views) | | | Tasted by Montesquieu on 7/28/2020 & rated 94 points: Beautifully integrated at this point. Fruit flavors remain generous. Our bottle was purchased second-hand, but had a cork in perfect condition and poured with little sediment. The nose is 96+, and the flavor terrific but lasted only 10-20 seconds. The lack of length/depth is what stops it short of a higher score. We noticed that an hour after decanting, the flavors dissipated much more quickly than when the bottle was first opened - no surprise for a 36-year-old bottle. I'd say peak enjoyment was roughly 15 minutes after opening and decant. Our group salutes the DC winemaker of this earlier era for a bottle that stood the test of time proudly. (1445 views) | | | Tasted by S1 on 11/10/2019: Charleston Offlineorama V; 11/7/2019-11/10/2019 (The Holy City): (blind) In a great spot right now. These wines are certainly recognizable as 100% Cab, and this one has plenty of fruit remaining. Wonderful. (1878 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 11/10/2019: Charleston V - the wooden anniversary; 11/6/2019-11/10/2019 (Charleston, SC (various locations)): Wine #2 in our blind. Darker texture to this wine. Very well balanced. Still has a reasonable amount of tannin. Some fruit. The finish is a bit quicker than I expected, but it's an enjoyable wine nonetheless. (2105 views) | | | Tasted by The Beldens on 4/21/2019 & rated 90 points: Still amazing after all these years! (1609 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 2/3/2019 & rated 91 points: Powerful, chewy, concentrated, but clearly rough around the edges, this is a solid example of old school California Cabernet Sauvignon that shows a lot of character, but not much finesse. (2038 views) | | | Tasted by vinolovers on 1/27/2018 & rated 91 points: Part of our No Wine Under 25 (Yr.) tasting. A medium coloring when poured with a hint of bricking on the rim. Some dried black fruit, leather, smoke and a bit of earthiness. Drinking very well. (1312 views) | | | Tasted by farinas on 12/28/2017 & rated 95 points: Bricking color on the edges, cork broke in half. However the proof is in the pudding: excellent aged cigar, dried fruits, mushrooms and library case. Smooth kiss of fruit on the palate with tense acidity and velvety resolves tannins. This wine can continue forever as have been my experiences with this great winery. (1396 views) | | | Tasted by Verb on 7/4/2017 & rated 92 points: deep red with brickish edge - fruity cabernet nose but not much complexity - rich full bodied mouth of intense red fruit - low acidity, moderate tannins - fairly long finish - very nice mature California cab that holds up to food very well, but lacks the complex flavors and aromas of a similarly aged Bordeaux (1512 views) | | | Tasted by dream on 2/11/2016 & rated 96 points: Out of double magnum. Perfectly mature and showing fabulous smoky, spicy dark red fruits along with notes of forest floor and licorice. Balanced and crisp with a silky smooth texture that leads to a finish boasting mature but still grippy tannins and incredible mineral crunch on the finish. Impossible to stop drinking this wine which sits in such stark contrast to most of the more recent gunk coming out of Cali/Napa Cabs. Al Brounstein at his finest! (2566 views) | | | Tasted by wconnolly on 7/11/2015 & rated 93 points: Opened beautifully, demonstrating the Left bank Bordeaux style expected from Diamond Creek. Perfumey nose like a Margaux. Medium garnet I the glass. Complex layers of leather, tobacco box, earthiness and dark fruit. An interesting contrast to the 84 Volcanic Hill served side by side at #2 son's wedding. Two Diamond Creek magnums from his birth year. The '84's continue to impress. (2558 views) | | | Tasted by twelch on 6/6/2014 & rated 95 points: These 84 DC's just rock. No other way to put it (2674 views) | | | Tasted by johnh1001 on 7/16/2013 & rated 92 points: Decanted and drank over 4 hours at Guildhall. Expressive nose of black fruit, meats and oak. Very sweet and polished back fruit and licorice on the palate. Dense. Still seems modern. Great balance and medium smooth finish. (3078 views) | | | Tasted by twelch on 2/5/2013 & rated 94 points: This was really singing right out of the bottle. Beautiful aged cabernet nose of cherries, strawberries a little forest floor yet still very youthful as well. Still some tannins on the back end along with the huge amount of fruit that is left tells me that there is no hurry on these. Really drinking well. Glad I have another bottle to try down the road. (2907 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 6/22/2012 & rated 93 points: HDH auction tasting at Tru; 6/22/2012-6/23/2012 (Chicago, IL): Smells like a nice matured cabernet. Slightly earthy, as well as some spicy red fruit notes. Truth be told, quite a youthful nose. On the palate, there's still some ways to go. Good balance of fruit and earth. Tannins are still very much alive; this is very velvety. A little ripe, perhaps, but the balance is there. Delicious. (3315 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 6/22/2012 & rated 90 points: Wines Tasted at HDH Auction (Tru Restaurant - Chicago IL): Black currant and plum on nose that comes across with a very dense, meaty character. Nicely mature, but still a bit too firmly structured. (2952 views) | | | Tasted by Chainthroer on 7/9/2011 & rated 91 points: This bottle was well stored; ullage high in the neck; little seepage on the cork. Browning at the rim; reddish garnet color. Nose of unpretentious oak, cherry, mint, a little forest floor. Elegant and rich in the mouth for a short while. Velvety finish. The wine is at the end of its plateau, but with proper storage, still viable for a short period after opening. The last time I had this wine was in December 2001 and gave a higher score. Al Brounstein made some fine wine and I've really appreciated them over the years. Later note: after about an hour the wine fell apart and the mid-palate disappeared. The score relates to the short period after the wine was first opened. (2237 views) | | | Tasted by DSchnider on 1/29/2011 & rated 94 points: Earthy and delicious (1781 views) | | | Tasted by Siggy on 5/11/2009 & rated 89 points: '80s and '90s California Cab Tasting w/ Bob Macdonald (Our House): The nose shows a faint whiff of VA. Deep, minty, and interesting, with lovely ripe raspberry and earthy tobacco flavors. The fruit turns a touch raisened and pruny with time in the glass. Fully mature, and probably a touch past its prime. (3134 views) | | | Tasted by zazim on 7/4/2008 & rated 92 points: Well stored bottles of 1984 Red Rock are excellent. This improved over a 6-hour period. It will never reach the heights of a 1984 Ridge Monte Bello, but it easily has another 5-10 years of life ahead. (2555 views) | | | Tasted by jhngo on 11/12/2005 & rated 84 points: Really not impressive. It is past its prime. No fruit what so ever. Very herbal earthy on the palate. Well structures and good mouth feel. A decently long finish. It is in the fridge... will follow up with notes. (2938 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 3/5/2005 & rated 94 points: RICH LAYERS OF DEEP FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR, BLACKBERRIES, BLACK CHERRIES, CURRENTS. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH. (677 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Diamond Creek Producer website
Producer's Estate Visit - Tasting
Diamond Creek Open House and 2015 Release Tasting Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Diamond MountainDiamond Mountain AVA: definition |
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