2008 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Sound and round. Very deep flavoured with no extremes and more than little terroir influence. A Napa Valley aristocrat. (JR)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
A deep, dark beauty, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow totally saturates the palate with the essence of blue and black fruit, cassis, bacon fat, mint, flowers and melted road tar. It is at once soft yet massively structured. At times, the 2008 is surprisingly approachable for a young wine from this estate, but then the Diamond Mountain tannins kick in, and it is a different story. Clean veins of minerality frame an insistent finish laced with tar, smoke and plenty of charred aromas and flavors. This dark, brooding beauty should be at its best between ages 15 and anyone's guess. Today, the Gravelly Meadow is the most complete of the 2008s.
A deep, dark beauty, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow totally saturates the palate with the essence of blue and black fruit, cassis, bacon fat, mint, flowers and melted road tar. It is at once soft yet massively structured. At times, the 2008 is surprisingly approachable for a young wine from this estate, but then the Diamond Mountain tannins kick in, and it is a different story. Clean veins of minerality frame an insistent finish laced with tar, smoke and plenty of charred aromas and flavors. This dark, brooding beauty should be at its best between ages 15 and anyone’s guess. Today, the Gravelly Meadow is the most complete of the 2008s. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2043. Diamond Creek is one of Napa Valley’s historic estates, as anyone who has been fortunate enough to drink the wines from the 1970s can attest. These are some of the most powerful, unapologetically structured wines being made in Napa Valley today. As such, they require considerable patience. Today’s wines are a little more approachable when young than in the past – the result of picking a little riper than was once the custom – but I think it is safe to say that readers who are unfamiliar with this style might be shocked by the sheer tannic heft in these wines when first released. Overall, I found a little more finesse in the 2009s than in the 2008s, but these still remain Cabernets that need significant cellaring. Tel. (707) 942-6926; info@diamondcreekvineyards.com
About the producer
Diamond Creek, Napa’s first single-vineyard Cabernet estate, has defined terroir-driven winemaking since 1968. Founded by Al and Boots Brounstein, the winery pioneered site-specific Cabernet, producing age-worthy wines from Gravelly Meadow, Red Rock Terrace and Volcanic Hill.