2005 | Diamond Creek | Gravelly Meadow (Magnum)

Planted in 1968 on pebbly brown soil, the Gravelly Meadow Vineyard wonderful reds with a profile that evokes freshly tilled earth, currant, plum and ripe blackberry flavours, well-defined, elegant tannins and a mineral, persistent finish.

Reviews:

• Wine & Spirits: Phil Steinschriber has yet to begin replanting Gravelly Meadow, which is the youngest of the original plantings at Diamond Creek (1972). Closest to the break in the hills that brings cool Pacific air across Diamond Mountain, this is also the coolest of the three sites. Aromatically, this 2005 has a lot in common with the wine from the north-facing Red Rock Terrace. The fruit grows increasingly wild, untamed and energized as it takes on air, red cherry and strawberry with the fatness of Petit Verdot (as in St-Julien, a tiny portion can go a long way). The fine tannins add a sagebrush flavor to the wine, seeming to add the scent of the California hills.

• Wine Advocate: The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow has a sweet, earthy, minerally character, delicate yet impressively intense blue and black fruits, medium body, sweet, sweet tannin, and a harmonious and impressively balanced mouthfeel. This is not blockbuster by any means, but rather an elegant yet authoritatively flavored wine to drink now and over the next 15 or more years. A fine vein of acidity keeps everything well-poised, precise and fresh.

Producer Information

The winery was founded by Al and "Boots" Brounstein. Al, the former owner of a successful pharmaceutical business in Los Angeles, got into wine when taking a class at UCLA on French wine appreciation. After working a few harvests at Ridge Vineyards, he decided that he wanted to have his own property. He visited a then unplanted property on Diamond Mountain. After consulting with the famed Andre Tchelistcheff and Louis Martini, he purchased it and planted it all to Cabernet Sauvignon. After Al passed away in 2006, Boots ran the winery with her son Phil Ross until her death in 2019. The following year the business was acquired by the Rouzaud family of Maison Louis Roederer, who had known the Brounstein family since the 1990s.
Diamond Creek Vineyards lies at about 800ft (245m) of elevation. Warm valley air rises along Diamond Creek from the northeast. These are balanced by cool ocean breezes from the west. There are three distinct soil types in its three main vineyards. These are largely separated by small lakes, Diamond Creek itself, and tree blocks. However all have a section which looks onto a pond in the center of the property. Red Rock Terrace (7 acres/2.8 hectares) sits on a steep hillside with iron-rich soils, facing northwest and overlooked by the winery. It is in a warmer part of the property and produces Cabernet Sauvignon that is more approachable in its youth than other Diamond Creek offerings. Gravelly Meadow (5 acres/2ha) is located on an old riverbed, and has shallow, alluvial soils with exceptional drainage. Low-yielding vines produce concentrated, tannic fruit. Volcanic Hill is the largest site at 8 acres (3.2ha), named for its grey-volcanic soils and its hilltop location. It is considered to produce the most ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignon. In certain years, Diamond Creek also produces a Lake Vineyard Cabernet from the three-quarter-acre (0.3ha) plot of that name to the west of Gravelly Meadow across another small lake. However, this is the property's coolest macrooclimate, and in most years the fruit does not get ripe enough to meet the strict standards here.

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