2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is the best showing yet of this wine (which I originally rated 94). Close to perfection, it exhibits a first-growth Pauillac-like bouquet of cedarwood, creme de cassis, licorice and lead pencil shavings. This dense purple-colored, full-bodied 2002 reveals a fabulous texture, a multilayered mouthfeel, tremendous purity, and an exuberance and flamboyance that are unbelievable. Its great length of 45-50 seconds offers up a vibrancy and energy that must be tasted to be believed. These wines are all naturally fermented with indigenous yeasts and are aged in 100% new French oak (which is totally concealed by the lavish amount of fruit). This 2002 is still a young adolescent in terms of development, with at least 25 more years ahead of it. Chris Carpenter, who has long worked for the Jackson family, continues to fashion some of the most profound wines of Napa Valley. The Diamond Mountain cuvee comes from the Reverdy Vineyard, the Howell Mountain offering comes from the Keyes Vineyard owned by the Jacksons, and their own Veeder Peak Vineyard is the source for Lokoya’s Mt. Veeder cuvee. All three are 500-case lots made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, bottled unfined and unfiltered, and are meant to last 25-30 years. Nearly every vintage produced to date has been spectacular, with the highlights for me being the 1997s, 2001s and these 2002s. Tel. (707) 948-1968; Fax (707) 944-2824
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Good bright, saturated ruby. Very dark, briary aromas of kirsch, bitter chocolate, licorice and espresso, lifted by spices. Sweet, lush and creamy, with rich, deep flavors of berries and dark chocolate. Finishes with impressively sweet, fine tannins and excellent length.
Full medium ruby. Liqueur-like aromas of raspberry, leather, sassafras and cocoa powder; superripe but less roasted than the 2001 version. Impressively opulent, even unctuous, with compelling sweetness of fruit. A very large-scaled wine that appears to have enough freshness and structure for balance. Offers impressive potential.
The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is the best showing yet of this wine (which I originally rated 94). Close to perfection, it exhibits a first-growth Pauillac-like bouquet of cedarwood, creme de cassis, licorice and lead pencil shavings. This dense purple-colored, full-bodied 2002 reveals a fabulous texture, a multilayered mouthfeel, tremendous purity, and an exuberance and flamboyance that are unbelievable. Its great length of 45-50 seconds offers up a vibrancy and energy that must be tasted to be believed. These wines are all naturally fermented with indigenous yeasts and are aged in 100% new French oak (which is totally concealed by the lavish amount of fruit). This 2002 is still a young adolescent in terms of development, with at least 25 more years ahead of it. ||Chris Carpenter, who has long worked for the Jackson family, continues to fashion some of the most profound wines of Napa Valley. The Diamond Mountain cuvee comes from the Reverdy Vineyard, the Howell Mountain offering comes from the Keyes Vineyard owned by the Jacksons, and their own Veeder Peak Vineyard is the source for Lokoya’s Mt. Veeder cuvee. All three are 500-case lots made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, bottled unfined and unfiltered, and are meant to last 25-30 years. Nearly every vintage produced to date has been spectacular, with the highlights for me being the 1997s, 2001s and these 2002s.||Tel. (707) 948-1968; Fax (707) 944-2824 Wine Advocate.June, 2012