***BOTTLING EARLY NOVEMBER, SHIPPING SHORTLY AFTER***
Some of the greatest deals take simple patience.
Our third blockbuster wine of this year’s Big Fall Series is made possible by our reputation for paying cash, and paying quickly. Last year, we made inquiries up on Diamond Mountain and landed a couple of superstar gems, but no one else was ready to play ball yet. Now, after more months of rocky waters in the market, our patience was rewarded by a callback from another winery who wanted to secure some cash flow – it’s expensive farming the harsh terrain up there, you know. Sometimes biding time is how the best finds come to fruition, and what a find we have for you today: epic Diamond Mountain Cabernet from a 100-point producer!
Lot 648 is a high elevation masterpiece of a wine that’s as dramatic as it is elusive – there’s only a fraction of vineyard acreage up here compared to even Howell Mountain. Prized by collectors and aficionados as one of Napa’s top mountain Cabs, this stunner is just oozing with the rugged volcanic character for which the appellation is renowned. Meticulously crafted with fanatical detail by a winemaking team with multiple 100-point scores in their sizeable trophy cabinet, their wizardry has transformed the raw power of these tiny mountain grapes into a tantalizingly complex, polished wine. We’d like to say we worked some dark magic of our own to secure this offer, but in this case, success comes when you don’t chase it and just stay ready. Following a quick round of negotiations, we put ink to paper at a price that is borderline preposterous: a $200+/bottle major league Diamond Mountain Cabernet for under $25! What’s that, a few miles worth of gas these days?!
Our price: $299/case DELIVERED, only $24+/bottle to your door!
Walk these vineyards and you might notice bits of soil glinting in the strong, high-elevation sunshine. Those are shards of volcanic glass, deposited millions of years ago during an era when this terrain was much more…“active.” These porous, free-draining volcanic soils naturally limit vine vigor and encourage small, intense berries, yielding the concentrated fruit and formidable tannin structure for which this AVA is renowned. Cooler daytime highs, mild nights, and a moderate diurnal temperature range support an extended ripening season, giving the grapes ample time to develop phenolic complexity. Translation: these grapes pack a seriously powerful punch, refined by over a year and a half in top-of-the-line French barrels with an abundance of new oak.
A nose brimming with black cherry and ripe blackberries reveals additional layers of violets, baking spice, and dark chocolate, with accents of graphite, sage, and wet stone. The palate is expertly weighted with exceptional mountain structure, showcasing boysenberry, raspberry, and currant complemented by resinous cedar and black pepper amidst medium-plus acidity and plentiful, grippy, fine-grained tannins. The finish is long and resonant, filled with vanilla, dark fruit, and crushed violets. Just spectacular.
