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All tasting notes
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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.8 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 41 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Cltjkirk on 5/30/2023 & rated 96 points: Delicious… half bottle at a restaurant. Instantly could smell it in the glass from feet away. Everything you want in a cab with some nice age and complexity. Stewed fruit and tobacco but still fairly light. Didn’t even really need to be decanted. (479 views) | | | Tasted by Sagan99 on 5/26/2023 & rated 94 points: Addendum -
I had a glass to keep overnight in decanter.
Became slightly more structured overnight, tannic, and this slightly less silky, though score remains above 90+!
I had very very high expectations for this wine. I'd only ever heard about it, and when I saw it at auction, with a decent bid price, a vintage wherein I'd be on planet earth to experience it, I took the plunge!
My expectations were more then exceeded.
(On the back of the bottle, it's explained that it would be good to compare the terroir of the Gravelly Meadow Diamond Creek. I'm on the lookout for a comparable vintage)
(Wife's away... So hubby cracked something for himself! Apparently, I should do this more often! 🤣)
Popped cork. Let sit for 2 hours.
Decanted.
Upon opening, thought this slightly oxidized/reduced, but with 2.5 hours of air... Fabulous. Gentle. Elegant.
Medium Deep Garnet, with some remaining ruby.
Dark fruits plums cassis
Lead pencil mushrooms lake shore clay sweet tobacco cigar box
Dry
Acid high
Alcohol high
Tannin present, but so silky, and becoming more present with exposure, consistently for several hours!
Viscosity, mouthfeel was tongue and gums and all palate enveloping!
Balanced precision
Depth and layers of character
CS 100%
14.1% abv
Porterhouse
Buy this wine. Cases of of it!
Take your chequebook!
But, this is drinking incredibly well now. It might get better. How much and within which timeframe, is a guess. With this, and with most, slightly too early is way better then slightly too late!
PS- Drink The Rainbow!!
https://diamondcreekvineyards.com/red-rock-terrace/ (502 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 5/1/2022 & rated 94 points: Great structure, very Bordeaux i.e. elegant, mid weight with good fruit.
Wonderful balance of fruit and structure. Drink now and over the next 10 years. (729 views) | | | Tasted by DonDon on 4/21/2022 & rated 92 points: Drunk alongside an insane line of beautiful Cali wines. This for me just got a little lost. However it’s still gorgeous and so much fruit still left. Lovely balance. (695 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 12/20/2020 & rated 94 points: This is superb, very Bordeaux in profile but with sweeter fruit but really elegant. Good grip of acidity giving a vivacious freshness to the lovely red and black fruit, along with cassis. Intense flavours, medium body. Persistent finish, moderate complexity. Still very young. (1582 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 10/18/2020 & rated 93 points: wow, so good... on the larger scale side for me (which often isn't my fav) but this wine carried all its heavy load with class and elegance... felt like it could go another ten years easily, dark red fruit, tiny bit of smoke here and there, good wood spice, balanced acidity with some tannin style showing... beautiful and would be enjoyed by multiple categories of wine drinkers I think (1310 views) | | | Tasted by jnewman77 on 11/9/2019: This is excellent. Maturing nicely, but still on the young side. Big dark fruits of cassis and plum, a bit of damp earth, mint, leather, and spice. Floral notes freshen this nicely. No noticeable oak. The palate has excellent depth and good balance. Doesn’t feel warm at all. Really good and should drink well for another 15 years (1585 views) | | | Tasted by Empirate on 12/7/2018: Mid maturity, really in a sweet spot. Tertiary notes of leathery dried currant, cigar box and tea leaves. Likely good for a few years still if this was a representative bottle.
I was a little worried on opening with some indication of seepage but no problems, thankfully. 94-95 (1708 views) | | | Tasted by yerrbo on 1/1/2017 & rated 96 points: The gem was the absolute star of our tasting menu and the clear winner. With no sediment it looked almost obsidian and had legs for days. It smelled of cherry syrup and on the tongue it exerted an almost perfectly balanced and not overpowering taste of dried fig and cherry. The finish was silky and went on for what seemed like forever. (2933 views) | | | Tasted by Nealefisher on 6/1/2016 & rated 93 points: SEI Closing Dinner
Popped and poured at the end of dinner. Drinking well now. Strong blue and secondary red fruits on the palate. Could have used a longer decant, but was very good nonetheless. (2868 views) | | | Tasted by Agreen07 on 12/29/2015 & rated 93 points: tasting really well right now, decanted 1 hour before drinking. (2897 views) | | | Tasted by peternelson on 6/12/2015 & rated 91 points: Red cherry kirsch, pencil lead, baking spices, a bit a rubber, red licorice; slight raisin notes. Quite nice, not bad for this vintage, lots of character. (3062 views) | | | Tasted by wconnolly on 6/20/2014 & rated 92 points: Another classic wine from this venerable producer. Medium garnet color. Nose gave off a bit of a sour aroma upon opening but this blew off with time. On the palate this was complex with Bordeaux like notes of earth, tobacco, chocolate and a medium finish. Decanted and let this open for 2 and a half hours before pouring. It continued to open after that time. While I am used to holding Diamond Creek for 20 years and more it is hard to imagine this will get any better with additional age. (3615 views) | | | Tasted by peternelson on 9/7/2013 & rated 92 points: Old & Rare CA Cabs: Black earth, slight tar-licorice, loamy; silky entry, medium body and medium acidity, well-balanced, structured, tertiary notes just beginning with focus on black fruits and rich minerality. Very nice, structured and will get better over the next 5-10 years. 91-92 (3291 views) | | | Tasted by cwheelie on 7/3/2013 & rated 87 points: thin, dry, austere. When Diamond Creek is on, they are fantastic. When they miss, as with this release, they are really really overpriced. (2964 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 2/9/2013 & rated 93 points: super wine, drank at Alta with the Baxter boys (9000 foot altitude), nice rich fruit nose, tannins still well present on the palate but with some nice fruit and plenty of minerals / earth / character... this was the triple threat - nice red fruits plus minerals/complex flavors plus some nice acid... great now and potential to get better over next five years... would be it then plateaus for 5-10 more (3066 views) | | | Tasted by mijnamfauk on 1/5/2013 & rated 96 points: Excellent, wonderful nose, long flavorful palate, did not decant, some soft tannins still evident .....will still be good 4-5 years more in the bottle. (2695 views) | | | Tasted by MJMDLM on 11/10/2012: 1st impression - no amber edges, nose is light, bright (masked by the beef bourguignon cooking in the background). Light tannins. No sediment, only a cloud at the shoulder. Decanted 2 hrs. before serving. (2137 views) | | | Tasted by peternelson on 8/16/2012 & rated 93 points: Light pot pouri with a touch of spice; bright cassis, slight dried herbs aspect, bright red plum with touches of strawberry; super sleek, medium body, elegant balance, high acidity, fine tannins and a long finish with a hint of anise. Very classy. (1671 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 7/21/2012 & rated 93 points: Diamond Creek Vineyards Decades of Rarities (Diamond Creek Vineyards, Calistoga, California): Dark ruby color; very appealing, floral, cassis, black cherry nose; youthful, cassis, black cherry, vanilla palate; long finish 93+ points (1870 views) | | | Tasted by Mark H. LeQuire on 6/5/2012 & rated 93 points: Beautiful and ready to go. Plenty of bottle life left in this one. (1883 views) | | | Tasted by fdub on 12/14/2011 & rated 93 points: Tasted along with the Harris Estates Treva's Vineyard. It was fun to taste these side by side as you could really tell the difference between the sites. The Diamond Creek was rich and powerful but not as tannic as I have always heard these wines are. It seemed open for business now. Lots of chocolate and pure black fruit on the nose with a nice mineral note. The palate was rich with black berries. Nice finish. (2022 views) | | | Tasted by pian0_player on 9/27/2010 & rated 97 points: Probably the best CA wine I have ever tasted. Stunning layers of fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and gravel. Amazing complexity and knockout nose. Im surprised at some of the tasting notes for this wine. 84 points? really???? I dont know what kind of wine you are drinking, but this kicked the 99 Chateau Margaux's butt (no disrespect) I had a couple months ago. This wine opened beautifully over dinner and was breathtaking. a privilege to consume. (2465 views) | | | Tasted by WetRock on 12/26/2008 flawed bottle: Cabs Covering 30 Years at Black Sheep Bistro (Black Sheep Bistro Tustin): Corked (3141 views) | | | Tasted by buddy22 on 6/6/2008 & rated 93 points: Decanted for almost 2 hours. Nose was full of blueberry and spicy oak. Well balanced. Coming into its own, with explosive flavors and subtle tannins. This was a big one. Loved everything about it. (2582 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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