2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow is impeccable. Crème de cassis, blackberry jam, incense, chocolate and a healthy dose of French oak are front and center. The 2015 is in a beautiful spot where the tannins have softened, and yet the wine retains superb freshness and plenty of fruit intensity. The opulent style favored at the time is very much in evidence. Today, the Gravelly Meadow strikes me as the most complete of the three wines. It offers plenty of vintage 2015 richness, without the excessive oak found in the Volcanic Hill or the Brett of the Red Rock Terrace, all while conveying plenty of site character.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow is super-expressive in the glass, especially in its aromatics. Cedar, tobacco, lavender, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and a host of dark stone fruits emerge with time in the glass, but only with some reluctance. The 2015 is going to need a few years to fully open up, but it, too, is shaping up to be relatively accessible by Diamond Creek standards. In this tasting, the Gravelly Meadow is the least open of the 2015s.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow opens with a lovely floral perfume of violets and rose hip tea with a core of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries, blueberry compote and plum preserves plus hints of wood smoke, tobacco and menthol. Full-bodied and firmly framed with grainy tannins and background freshness, it has gorgeous earthy layers and a mineral-tinged finish.
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.