This wine is made from 57% Petit Verdot (a variety of increasing interest, it seems) from mountain sites. An additional 29% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon help soften its tastes of black licorice, leather and black currant, dotted by a dash of black olive. Opaque in color, it’s savory and sizable in body without becoming overly concentrated. Drink now through 2021.
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon pushes ripeness to the extreme. Jammy black fruit, graphite, chocolate, flowers and copious new French oak nearly cover the Diamond Mountain tannins. If the 2013 settles down and acquires a little more nuance it may very well merit a higher score, but today it comes across as a bit overdone.
Awarded Best of Class.
Campfire smoke and meat rise on the nose of this 100% varietal wine, a nearly rustic experience if it weren’t for the powerful beauty behind the rest of the story. A soft, dry grip of tannin plays against youthfully ripe notions of blackberry jam on toast, with chocolate and cigar lurking in the background. Drink now through 2023.
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Seraphim has come together nicely. A host of graphite, crushed rocks, mint and slate back up a core of dark fruit. This is an especially inky, fruit-driven Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Seraphim is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Diamond Mountain. This is a beauty–deep, rich black/purple in color, with loads of cassis fruit. Few secondary nuances except for graphite and vanillin are present. The wine is full-bodied, powerful and rich. This tips the scales at 14.7% natural alcohol, and seems to have a good 30 years of upside potential. The winemaker is none other than Thomas Rivers Brown, which no doubt helps explain the super high-quality of this wine. Give it 5-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25 years.