Hmm, I’ve Never Had a Diamond Creek Cabernet, What Am I Missing (If Anything)?

Just got an emailer out of the blue, and it dawned on me, that I have never had this otherwise rather expensive Cabernet. What am I missing? And what are the differences between the cuvees? Any particular vintage, besides the new releases, that I should target, assuming the answer to Q1 is, “the universe”.

A very special property that made many great wines and which is, I think and hope, on the cusp of a renaissance. Try to find a 1994 or before. The 1978s are especially famous but other vintages such as 1981 can get pretty close to that level, for a more modest tariff. One of my mentors in wine used to import them in the UK and would take Al Brounstein a Parkinson’s medication that wasn’t yet available in the US in his suitcase, so I drank a lot of these wines from a cold English cellar where they had aged at a glacial pace. The differences are pretty much what you would expect from the names of the sites. While Red Rock Terrace (ignoring the occasional Lake bottlings) is generally considered the best I don’t find the hierarchy to be so evident, and I really enjoy the Gravely Meadow.

Properly stored the 1978s are killer. Tremendously properly stored, the 74s are killer. Years ago, the 79s were dirt cheap and very special but probably past their prime. I’ve never had a DC that I loved from the 80s, but I’ve not had many.

Never had the 81 that William recommends above. Hope I come across one!

Don’t tell anybody;1978 Diamond Creek LAKE !!

The almost-coordinated timing of our respective responses reminded me of one of what I’m told was Al’s favorite jokes: shaking from Parkinson’s, he would say that the disease had given him “the fastest hand in the West”…

Perhaps the best drinking 70’s Cabs are 78 DCs especially the Volcanic Hill, IMO.
The vineyards are distinct and soils are as named, fascinating property Al bought.
As the Parkinsons came on, he used to say he had the fastest hands in the West.
The Marin Wine Cellar was his largest single buyer in the mid 80’s and “distributed” nationally to serious collectors for him. We saw him and Boots regularly.

I also remember Boots Brounstein telling me that Philip Togni lent them the bins for their first ever pick… Napa Valley must have been a different world back then.

You really get that sense when you read Judgment of Paris. The “all in this together” attitude sounds like a wonderful time to have been making wine (absent the low prices)

At their best, these are some of the greatest wines ever made in the U.S. The people who bought them on release must feel the same, because there is limited trade in them on the auction market or after-market retail. Probably the one CA producer I wished I had in my cellar, but don’t.

Al did 40 cases of Volcanic Hill and 25 cases of Gravelly Meadow in 1972.
The number of wineries increased radically in 72, but there were just a few dozen…yeah kinda different. Everyone shared everything to put Napa on the map.

Funny story, that converges a couple of threads here. At one point a decade or so ago I bought a considerable amount of Keller’s wine on release at release and futures pricing over a couple of vintages. Including cases of G-max and mags of Abst. etc. When the price skyrocketed and everyone wanted this I sold it all as the G wasn’t worth $2k for me to drink and we had consumed many bottles over the years. The wine was picked up by an expediter for the buyer to be packed up and sent overseas. I left the gentleman alone in one of our home wine storage areas for a few minutes to print out an inventory of the bottles to ensure they received everything that had been purchased. He was in an awful hurry to be on his way with the wine when I returned. I didn’t think anything of it, until a week later I noticed that bottles of 78 Diamond Creek I’d stood up for a dinner had disappeared! One of them I’d promised to someone on this board. I enjoy the wine so much I actually searched the entire storage area multiple times hoping to find them - as if they could have walked off a shelf and back into a box! 78 DCs are magical.

I thought the very same thing!

Never had the 81, but the 88 Gravelly Meadow I had recently was divine. I zoned out for a few moments and sipped in awe all evening. Not too often does a wine stop me in my tracks like that. Wish I could find some bottles!

Wow, some truly great posts, love the anecdotes. You guys are the best. Really much appreciated. Amazing to me my depth of tasting of Bordeaux and yet I’ve never had this classic American Cab.

Robert, no funny stories to add, but the wines were, at times, sublime. I don’t think I have bought any for quite a while. If they do have a Renaissance I selfishly hope it’s old school…

Beautiful wines, all of them. Bordeaux-esque Napa Valley wines, classic.

Red Rock Terrace is the most feminine, Margaux-like, floral and red fruit-driven
Gravelly Meadow is the most aristocratic, St. Julien-like wine with blue fruits and lots of minerality
Volcanic Hill is Pauillac-like, with dark fruit, cassis, tobacco and a wonderful Latour-like nuttiness (my favorite)

Definitely worth trying, in my opinion.

78 Volcanic Hill was one of the best wines in my experience