Community Tasting Notes 8

• blakevino wrote:

  February 7, 2021 - .

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• SLab Likes this wine: 94 points

  July 29, 2019 - Ouvert 1-2h avant. Le vin est presque opaque. En bouche, on est en présence d'un vin puissant et délicat à la fois. Chocolat, fumée mais aussi des fruits noirs. Le vin est tout de même assez aérien et très plaisant. Une expérience à chaque fois. 93-94pts

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• IvanLi Likes this wine: 95 points

  January 2, 2019 - The purple-ruby 2013 DC Red Rock Terrace is an incredibly ripe yet elegant wine from Napa Valley.
  I was lucky to taste this bottle right after a number of high-end Bordeauxs (namely 2003 Pontet Canet, 2005 Palmer, 2000 Pape Clement, 2009 Les Forts de Latour) and I have to say that it holds it's own against this stiff competition. More importantly, it manages to combine the lush and opulent Napa Valley fruit with subtle elegance and aristocracy of it's french counterparts.
  The nose is a dense and fresh concoction of creme de cassis, graphite, bitter chocolate and hints of forest floor and flowers. Then comes the wave of smoky, slightly overpowering and bitter oak.
  On the palate, the wine is very ripe and at the same time fresh, with layers of blackberry, black cherry, cassis, graphite and, finally, oak again.
  The tannins are mouth-coating and substantial but extremely suave.
  While you can certainly drink this wine now with or w/o the food, I would suggest to wait another 5 years before the oak fully integrates itself. Based on my previous experience with other DC wines, they truly start to shine at the age of 12, but taking into account the seriousness of the 2013 vintage you can certainly add another 2-3 years. At this time it can hit the 97-99 point zone easily.
  Thus, the suggested drinking dates of 2024-2040 don't look way off to me.

  5 people found this helpful Comment

• nvandyk wrote: 98 points

  November 16, 2018 - This is a phenomenal wine and was drinking quite well even though this is an early date relative to the prescribed drinking windows. I haven't had a Diamond Creek in 20 years -- I gather recent vintages have been a return to form for the winery but whatever the case, this is outstanding!
  
  Very rich but not overblown; reminds me of a forward vintage of Araujo.

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• Harley1199 Likes this wine: 95 points

  May 22, 2018 - Tasted blind I went directly to the point: a very young DC which isn't Volcanic Hills. Very clear to me our host was trying to match by contrast an older Monte Bello with a better-known young wine. The whole thing was on the nose with gorgeous, rusty aromas of iron and flesh meat. You also can find gooseberries and a earthy note. Multilayered. Elegant and classy. On the palette you can't stop salivating cause that high acidity and those rotund tannins that silkiness just try to put under control. Too young but with these elements so its time will come. Yes indeed. Anyway I can't stop sniffing and I am happy for that, believe me. 95 because that aromatic intensity. George announced us he wants to close this NW trip with a springbuck blind tasting plus some surprises next Monday nite. A bit sceptical because I know his retail provider but let's see ...
  
  Probado a ciegas esta vez fui directamente al grano: una DC muy joven que no es Volcanic Hills. Muy claro para mí que nuestro anfitrión estaba tratando de hacer coincidir, por contraste, un viejo Monte Bello con un vino joven más conocido. Todo se encontraba en la nariz con magníficos y oxidados aromas de hierro y carne. También puedes encontrar uvillas y una nota terrosa. Multicapa. Elegante y con clase. Al paladar no se puede dejar de salivar por la alta acidez y los taninos rotundos que la sedosidad simplemente trata de controlar. Demasiado joven pero con estos elementos, así que su hora llegará . Sí, sin duda. De todos modos, no puedo dejar de olerlo y estoy feliz por eso, créanme. 95 puntos porque esa intensidad aromática. Jorge nos anunció que quiere cerrar este viaje por el NW con una cata a ciegas de Sudáfrica y algunas sorpresas más para el próximo lunes por la noche. Un poco escéptico porque conozco a su proveedor minorista, pero veamos ...

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Pro Reviews 3

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2013
• Type Red
• Producer Diamond Creek
• Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard Red Rock Terrace
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Napa Valley
• Appellation Diamond Mountain
• UPC Codes 055172557500, 3082415738621

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 661 (82%)
• Consumed 144 (18%)

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