TN: 1983 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill

WINE TALK
1

A really nice double-blind tasting tonight. I’ll post some other notes (as well as all of the wines tasted, most of which are quite fresh in my head). This was one of the two wines that I brought:

  • 1983 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain (6/26/2009)
    This is a great example of the saying that, with a 20+ year-old wine, there are only great “bottles” and not necessarily great wines. Fortunately for my tasting group and me, this was a great bottle. It was purchased upon release and stored in pristine fashion. Tonight (6/26/09) it was presented in double-blind fashion to our tasting group, a night when many great wines were served double-blind alongside. My tasting of the wine was unblinded. I double-decanted the wine in advance of the tasting, allowing only about 15 minutes in decanter before funneling back into the cleaned bottle. At the tasting, the wine was analyzed over a 3-hour period. It did not “die in the glass” during the tasting period (much to my delight). The wine shows a deep garnet robe with brick rim at this point. The nose is very intense, showing a nice core of plum fruit, surrounded by aromas of cocoa, leather, exotic spices and cardamom. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, melted tannins and flavors which mirror the nose. The middle is full and the finish long. This bottle was a “singer” which is spot-on right now. If anyone has a well-cellared bottle in their cellar, drink it now! It was possibly the WOTN amongst 18 phenomenal wines which were tasted at this “bring your good stuff” tasting. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Colin [pillow-fight.gif]

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Colin,
Great to hear and thanks for the note. Looking forward for the complete lineup

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Had one of these last night. Great bottle, fill was into the neck. Agree with the above notes of plum fruit, some red fruit, a good amount of leather and slight earthy mushroom on the nose. The palate showed lots of fruit and was incredibly juicy – it just kept building with great acidity and texture. Some mild tannin, but it was barely obvious. Not the most complex wine, but incredibly good and satisfying.