2013 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill presents a stunning interplay of ripe, inky fruit and structure. Dazzling from the first impression, the Volcanic Hill exudes richness, with copious amounts of inky blue/purplish fruit, violet, licorice and graphite. This stunning, captivating Cabernet has the potential to offer truly thrilling drinking for a number of decades. The vibrant, salivating finish is a thing of beauty. This south-facing site is the first to be harvested.

From the biggest of the three vineyards, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill comes from pure volcanic, iron-rich, rocky white tufa of volcanic origin. Marginally speaking, this is bluer and blacker than the Red Rock Terrace or Gravelly Meadow. A tour de force of perfection, this wine offers up crème de cassis, blueberry liqueur, licorice, earth, truffle and graphite. It displays spectacular richness, magnificent balance and texture, and a long, incredibly pure finish of close to a minute. This remarkable, full-bodied elixir should drink beautifully for another 30+ years, if not longer.<br><br>One of the iconic wineries of Napa Valley, Diamond Creek’s vineyards were planted in 1968 in three distinctive soil types over 20 acres on Diamond Mountain. Some of the most extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignons have emerged from these sites, especially in the early 1970s – 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1978 are all legendary wines that are still fabulous today. The 2013s are all 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French oak. Dec 2016, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2016-2046

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill feels quite somber in this tasting. Dark fruit, leather, licorice, scorched earth, tobacco, menthol and dried herbs power through. The 2013 remains very youthful. Readers will have to be patient. This is a huge, dense wine with a strong oak signature. This is the estate's warmest site. That seems especially evident today.