98+ Points, Wine
Advocate
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon,
12.5% Merlot, 8.7% Malbec and 2.8% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts with vibrant scents of
wild blueberries, chocolate-covered cherries and boysenberries with hints of sassafras, fragrant earth, vanilla
pod and underbrush, plus a waft of crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers fantastic purity
and depth, offering firm, grainy tannins to support the bags of earth-laced black fruits, finishing long and
mineral laced. 791 cases were made.
"You couldn't script it much better, in terms of weather and climate," said Diamond
Creek's new winemaker Graham Wehmeier, speaking about the 2018 vintage. "The only issue for a lot of winemakers
in Napa Valley was tank space." Graham was still at Futo winery during the 2018 harvest, as this was before the
sale of Diamond Creek in March 2020 to Maison Louis Roederer. At Diamond Creek, 2018 was a normal year in terms
of yields—only around two tons per acre. "We had such a string of early harvests," Graham mentioned. "Then 2018
was so late. They didn't finish picking at Diamond Creek until November 8th. But that's kind of typical for
here. The low crop helps—we don't struggle to ripen. 2018 was really just a matter of waiting for perfection.
I'm happy with the 2018s—there are a lot of classic Diamond Creek characters in the wines, although this year
has a bit more approachability." These 2018s were just being bottled when Graham arrived on the scene in the
summer of 2020. When I broached the subject of plans for future changes, Graham said, "We're not looking to
change anything drastic." In my book, that is good news for this amazing little mountainside corner of Napa
Valley. The offer for these very impressive new 2018 Diamond Creek releases just went out to their mailing list
last week and should be hitting the markets very soon. Enjoy!