2021 Gravelly Meadow 0,75 l Diamond Creek

A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 8% Malbec. Fermentation in small, open-top fermenters, followed by a cold soak and gentle extraction of up to 21 days on skins, aged 20 months in nearly 75% new French Oak and one year in bottle before release. The case counts of the three single vineyard Diamond Creek wines are significantly lower in 2021, with just 250 cases made from the 1.5ha Gravelly Meadow site on an ancient riverbed. The nose is so aromatically enticing with bright cranberry and raspberry fruit, sandalwood, and a subtle chocolaty quality intermixed with dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied with a deep mid-palate concentration of very pure red berry fruit immediately nuanced by river stone minerality and framed by velvety tannins, which build precision and layers. It is a tremendous wine with lots of tension and energy. It is more relaxed than Red Rock Terraces and less powerful or dense than Volcanic Hill in this vintage, but the 'Goldilocks' of the single vineyards this year. During my visit in June of 2024, Nicole Carter (president) and winemaker Graham Wehmeier took me on a tour of the property to get an upfront and close look at Diamond Creek's single vineyards (Volcanic Hill, Gravelly Meadow, and Red Rock Terrace). There is a good amount of replanting going on, and as the young vine fruit comes online in the near future, much of it will likely get blended into their Three Vineyard Blend as the winery's entry-level bottling. Graham, who joined in 2020, has dialled down the toast levels on the oak and is exploring new cooperages. The wines are more expressive of the site than ever before, with a freshness factor dialled way up.