(a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 10% cabernet franc): Medium ruby. Brooding aromas of dark berries and menthol. Then sexy and savory in the mouth, with good verve and nuance to the black raspberry and licorice flavors. Finishes with substantial chewy tannins and good length. Fruit from this Diamond Mountain property previously was sold to David Ramey and Lokoya, and still goes to the Napa Valley Reserve.
Delicious now, this has waves of blackberries, cherries, currants, dark chocolate, spices and oak. It seems almost sweet, but the finish is a swirl of dry tannins. Might develop over the long haul, and will it certainly last to 2015. Give it a few hours in the decanter.
The 2009 Little Sister is a beautiful, perfumed wine laced with silky red berries, flowers and spices. It is a gracious, supple wine endowed with remarkable textural finesse and exceptional overall balance. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Although Edward and Marilyn Wallis purchased their estate on Diamond Mountain in 1975, the first vines were only planted in 2000. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown gives the Cabernet Sauvignon roughly 10 months in French oak barrels, 85% new.
The 2009 Little Sister is a beautiful, perfumed wine laced with silky red berries, flowers and spices. It is a gracious, supple wine endowed with remarkable textural finesse and exceptional overall balance.
Good ruby-red. Liqueur-like, even exotic, on the nose, but not yet differentiated. Large-scaled, broad and primary, with darker fruit flavors than the 2008 version. This distinctly unformed wine is all baby fat today. A powerful and head-spinning cabernet with chewy, almost granular tannins. Impressive material here, but will this achieve the balance of the 2008?
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is layered with dark red fruit, flowers, mint and licorice. This is a decidedly powerful style endowed with gorgeous focus and textural elegance, but the overall impression is one of relative suppleness for the appellation.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon flows with black cherries, plums, spices, tar and licorice. It possesses striking inner perfume and beautifully expressive fruit in a style that brings tons of elegance to Diamond Mountain. Layers of flavor build towards the impressive, textured finish. This is another terrific showing from Wallis Family Estate. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2024. Although Edward and Marilyn Wallis purchased their estate on Diamond Mountain in 1975, the first vines were only planted in 2000. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown gives the Cabernet Sauvignon roughly 10 months in French oak barrels, 85% new.
A great follow-up to the winery’s 2008, this continues a roll of classy Diamond Mountain-based Cabs from Wallis Family. It’s dry, softly tannic and likeable for its depth of blackberry, cherry, currant and cedar flavors. This straddles the line between immediate drinkability and ageability.