The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Denali Estate Vineyard is a potent, St. Helena Cabernet. It offers plenty of impact as well as all the exuberance of St. Helena. Inky red/purplish berry fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal and menthol all hit the palate. This tannic, ample Cabernet has plenty of depth, that much is obvious. All it needs is a bit more polish in the tannins.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Wallis Denali Estate Vineyard reveals alluring scents of fruitcake, baked blackberries and crème de cassis, plus suggestions of eucalyptus, espresso, black olives and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers tons of savory layers and beautiful harmony in the mouth, with a firm, fine-grained texture and refreshing lift on the finish.
Awarded Gold.
Thomas Rivers Brown is the winemaker responsible for this delightful Napa Cab. Made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Diamond Mountain District, it is aged for 20 months in 80 percent new French oak and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. It is garnet-ruby in color with aromas of crushed violets, pencil lead, and ripe black fruits in the bouquet. The palate offers flavors of cassis, black raspberry, and tobacco leaf with silky tannins and a finish that goes on and on. Only 250 cases produced.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon bursts with intense black and red cherries, boysenberries and warm cassis notes, plus wafts of cedar, pencil lead, wild sage and truffles. The palate is medium to full-bodied with tightly knit, fine-grained tannins and lovely freshness supporting the muscular fruit, finishing long and minerally.
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Denali Estate Vineyard is a potent, St. Helena Cabernet. It offers plenty of impact as well as all the exuberance of St. Helena. Inky red/purplish berry fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal and menthol all hit the palate. This tannic, ample Cabernet has plenty of depth, that much is obvious. All it needs is a bit more polish in the tannins.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Wallis Denali Estate Vineyard reveals alluring scents of fruitcake, baked blackberries and crème de cassis, plus suggestions of eucalyptus, espresso, black olives and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers tons of savory layers and beautiful harmony in the mouth, with a firm, fine-grained texture and refreshing lift on the finish.
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is exceptional. In fact, the 2019 is one of the best editions of this wine in recent memory. A rush of blackberry jam, cloves, licorice, menthol, lavender and espresso hits the palate. Plush and deep, with plenty of structure, the 2019 is a great example of Diamond Mountain Cabernet done in an unapologetically flamboyant style.
One of my two favorite sub-AVA’s of Napa Valley brings us this Cabernet Sauvignon, one made beautiful through the struggle of growing in the region. There’s a red fruit stamp that often originates from the area, and it’s well displayed here through careful oak selection that serves to accentuate the fruit without burying it. Well done! Made by Thomas Rivers Brown.
Coming from the Diamond Mountain District in the northern part of the Valley, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District reveals a dense purple hue as well as a textbook Cabernet nose of ripe blackcurrants, lead pencil, damp earth, and chocolate. Rich, medium to full-bodied, plush, and beautifully textured, this is in the running for the top wine at the price point. Drink it any time over the coming 15+ years.
Deep purple color. Inviting aromas and flavors of chocolate toffee, bubbly berry pie crust, frozen French vanilla yogurt, and hint of dried flowers with a satiny, vibrant, fruity medium-full body and a seamless, charming, medium-long finish imparting shades of dried berries in cream, cedar, and roasted nuts with wellintegrated, dusty tannins and moderate oak flavor. A lively Napa Cabernet with nicely balanced fruit and structure and a youthful stride.
Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon features bold notions of creme de cassis, blueberry compote and blackberry pie plus nuances of tar, unsmoked cigars, beef drippings and garrigue with a waft of lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate has a rock-solid structure of firm grainy tannins and lovely freshness lifting the dense, muscular black fruit and earthy layers to a long, mineral-tinged finish.
Fresh black cherry, blackberry leaf, iodine and bark on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with powerful, fine-grained tannins. Fresh and structured with focused fruit and spice flavors. Needs a couple of years. Try from 2022.
A beautiful and elegant Napa Valley Cabernet. Hold for at least 10 years! This wine will age beautifully if held onto. The wine is made with great finesse and showcases some of the best fruit in Napa.
Awarded 98, Double Gold.
This is the Wallis Family’s hotrod Cabernet from Diamond Mountain and it definitely has the horsepower for the role. Rich and dense, with impressive depth, this is a darkly fruited Cabernet that has that rare combination of power and elegance. Notes of ripe cassis and black fruits dominate, with a touch of wood spice and ample tannin for the long haul, though drinking exceptionally well at this young stage. A Platinum Award winner at the 2019 Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition.
Awarded Double Gold.
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Seraphim has a masculine bouquet of black plums, singed cedar, chocolate, and currants, with plenty of spice developing with time in the glass. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, has good concentration, and just a backward, closed style. Nevertheless, it has terrific purity, a great mid-palate, and is going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age.
A dense and layered young red with velvety, chewy tannins and lots of terracotta and blackberry character. Full and juicy. Needs time to soften. Very well done for the vintage. Better after 2021.
The extraction and richness in Napa Valley Cabernet is what made the valley famous, and this wine has both in spades. Brilliant aromas of blackberry and red currant combined with beautiful texture and balance make this a Cabernet to savor now or lay down in a proper cellar for another five to ten years. Platinum Award winner at the 2020 Critics Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition.
The famed Diamond Mountain District has a worthy representative in this bottling, showing black and blue fruit, fall spice and earthy notes that ride a rustic tannin profile through a long finish that already shows integration. As the rusticity loosens and fades into elegance, this will taste better and better. That said, it would be great now with well marbled beef or game. A Platinum Award Winner at the 2020 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge.
The Diamond Mountain District is one of the most coveted sites for Cabernet Sauvignon in California. There is a reason for that, and it is in evidence here. This wine shows extraordinary depth and concentration, and is richly layered and complex, with aromas of blackberry, cassis and spice. The balance is exquisite and the finish dazzling and long. Platinum Award win.
Violet color. Inviting aromas and flavors of crusty dark berry tart, chocolate craisin and orange peel, waxy honeycomb, and hint of leather with a supple, vibrant, dry-yet-fruity medium-full body and an effortless, involved, long finish manifesting notes of blueberries, violet and orange blossom water, and roasted pecans with chewy, drying tannins and moderate oak flavor. A rich and chewy Napa Cabernet that is drinking with vigor and poise now, yet promises greater rewards with cellaring
Excellent showcase of Diamond Mountain. Over priced but that is what elite winemakers cost. Age this wine for at least 5 years, and decant to showcase the depth and complexity this wine has to offer.
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Seraphim opens with arrestingly beautiful, striking aromatics. Graphite, crème de cassis, lavender, licorice are all backed up by huge, imposing tannins. Readers should plan on being patient with the 2016, when it is bottled and eventually sold.
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is a gorgeous, exotic beauty. Super-ripe red cherry, plum jam, mocha, new leather, licorice and pomegranate abound. Although not exactly a wine of site, the 2016 is flat out delicious and will be impossible to resist, even in its youth. Readers should expect a heady, flamboyant style
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Seraphim has really come along nicely since I tasted it last year. The tannins have softened considerably, which in turn allows the fruit to come through. This is an unusually rich, jammy style for Diamond Mountain, and while it would be nice to see a greater sense of place, there is no denying the wine’s beauty. An exotic mélange of raspberry jam, white chocolate, spice and new oak builds as this flamboyant, unapologetically opulent wine shows off its voluptuous curves and inviting personality.
The base cuvée is the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon and it too comes all from the Diamond Mountain AVA, which in is the northwestern part of the valley. Aged in 80% new oak, it gives up beautifully classic notes of red and black fruits, dried earth, spice box, and savory herbs. It’s classic Diamond Mountain on the palate and is more supple, rounded, and sexy, with a layered, full-bodied style. Undeniably charming and delicious, it’s going to keep for 10-12 years.
Coming from the Diamond Mountain AVA and brought up in 80% new French oak, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Seraphim is made by Thomas Rivers Brown and sports a saturated purple color as well as a perfumed, exotic bouquet of blueberries, crème de cassis, crushed violets, blood orange, and spice. It’s ripe, sexy, full-bodied, and beautifully textured.
A 100% varietal wine made by Thomas Rivers Brown, this is abundant in baked plum, cassis and dark currant. Firm tannins wrap around the integrated oak and secondary seasonings of black pepper, licorice and pepper, leaving a fresh, floral finish to ponder. Enjoy 2021–2026.