2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace
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Tasting notes
Good medium red-ruby color. Aromatic nose combines sour cherry, dark plum, menthol and tobacco leaf. Fine-grained but still a bit youthfully wound up, with its red and darker fruit flavors complicated by herbal and menthol elements. More saline than sweet, this Cabernet Sauvignon conveys a strong site character. Finishes with a serious spine of dusty, broad, palate- and tooth-saturating tannins. More about perfume and juicy delineation than volume today, this tautly structured midweight still needs time in barrel to unwind. I would not be surprised if it eventually merited an even higher score.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
A stunning, vivid wine, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace jumps from the glass with exotic red-toned fruit. Pomegranate, plum, mint and floral notes meld together in a rich, resonant wine endowed with tons of flesh and pure volume. The combination of fruit, acidity and structure is so divine that the Red Rock could be enjoyed today, although ideally it is best cellared for at least another decade or so. (AG)
Aromas of blueberries and minerals follow through to a full body with firm tannins and a juicy finish. Hints of iron and clay. A balanced, reserved red. Shows the tradition and class of the vineyard.
The Red Rock Terrace Vineyard consists of seven acres of iron-rich, red soils. The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace reveals intense, ripe, impressive creme de cassis and boysenberry fruit notes. Fuller-bodied, richer and more muscular than the Gravelly Meadow, it is stunningly powerful and pure with multiple layers, abundant tannin and structure, and extravagant amounts of fruit and glycerin. Still an infant, this beauty requires 7-10 years of cellaring and should keep for three decades. Definitely on the comeback trail, this iconic winery, which is celebrating 40+ years in Napa Valley, has a resume that includes some of the greatest wines made in Napa during its heyday in the 1970s (the 1974, 1976s and 1978s). Tel. (707) 942-6926
About the producer
Diamond Creek, Napa’s first single-vineyard Cabernet estate, has defined terroir-driven winemaking since 1968. Founded by Al and Boots Brounstein, the winery pioneered site-specific Cabernet, producing age-worthy wines from Gravelly Meadow, Red Rock Terrace and Volcanic Hill.