It’s a voluptuous, lush, and earthy red that offers up cinnamon and cumin with a hint of spearmint. The black fruit is lathered with licorice.
Reviews:
- James Suckling: Very vibrant, keenly articulated and concentrated cabernet that offers powerful black cherries and blackberries with dark chocolate and a deep, intense finish.
- Jeb Dunnuck: What’s considered the estate wine, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is another impressive wine from this estate and winemaker Celia Welch. Ample savory earth, mushroom, and both red and black fruits all emerge from this medium-bodied Cabernet that has moderate tannins, impressive balance, and plenty of upfront charm and accessibility, especially for a Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
Producer Information
Schramsberg Vineyards is one of the oldest wineries in the Napa Valley, located in the Calistoga AVA (American Viticultural Area). It was established in 1862 and today, produces predominately sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It was Jacob Schram who planted the estate vineyards and initiated the construction of Napa’s first hillside caves to store and age wine at Schramsberg. It was throughout the early 20th Century that Schramsberg became famous for its sparkling wines, made in the methode traditionnelle, which have been served at official functions by every US Presidential administration since Richard Nixon in 1972. The inaugural vintage of current proprietors was in 1967, composed of a Blanc de Noirs labeled “Napa Valley Champagne”. By the 1980s, Schramsberg had added a vintage-dated Blanc de Blancs and a prestige cuvée, J. Schram, to its portfolio. Nowadays, there is also a rosé, a crémant demi-sec, an extra brut, and several sparkling wines from specific North Coast appellations. Schramsberg produces its sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Flora sourced from multiple cool-climate vineyard sites in Napa, Sonoma, Anderson Valley, and in Marin County. There is also 17 hectares (41 acres) of vines in the Napa appellation of Diamond Mountain planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, used for the production of still wines under Schramsberg’s Davies Vineyards label. In the cellar, Schramsberg has a library of base wines aged up to 10 years in barrel to provide richness in the final blend. The wines spend a minimum of two years aging on the lees at the property’s historic underground caves before disgorgement.
