Wine Advisor
Diamond Creek, Gravelly Meadow Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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Description
Diamond Creek, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Gravelly Meadow, California, Red, 2011
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow is a blend of 78.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.4% Merlot, 8% Malbec and 5.1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it slips effortlessly from the glass, singing of ripe black cherries, black raspberries and cassis, plus hints of red currants, roses, cinnamon stick and garrigue. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers lovely freshness, offering bags of perfumed black fruits in the mouth, beautifully supported by fine-grained tannins, finishing long with lots of soft-spoken floral and mineral whispers. This perfumed beauty wears the 2018 vintage stamp well, presenting a more delicate expression of this vineyard—one that I love! 647 cases were made.
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow is already closing down a little bit, but it still shows attractive notes of dried porcini mushrooms alongside fresh cassis and blackberry fruit. This is medium to full-bodied, not as bold or opulent as the 2019, but nicely balanced, with slightly chunkier, blockier tannins. Despite the more muscular structure, the wine still finishes long, with surprising elegance.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Diamond Creek's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow is sensual, racy and pliant, with striking aromatic presence and gorgeous mid-weight structure. Rose petal, lavender, spice, menthol and red/purplish fruit all grace this silky Cabernet. Best of all, the 2018 will drink well with minimal cellaring.
About the Producer
Diamond Creek Vineyards was founded in 1968 by Al and Boots Brounstein, pioneers of the modern Napa Valley wine industry. Risk-takers and visionaries, who early on, recognized the valley’s suitability for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, they also understood the powerful role that soils and microclimates play in determining the character of a wine. For over a half-century Diamond Creek has produced Single-Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from its stunning estate on Napa Valley’s Diamond Mountain. True to the mission of its founders, the winery has never veered from its path of creating wines that express the unique terroirs that coexist on this geologically diverse yet relatively small piece of earth. Today we carry on this tradition, committed to preserving Diamond Creek’s long celebration of site-driven, estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon while nurturing the property and its wines to even higher expressions of quality and singularity.
