2005 Diamond Creek "Gravelly Meadow" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 3L

Phil Steinschriber has yet to begin replanting Gravelly Meadow, which is the youngest of the original plantings at Diamond Creek (1972). Closest to the break in the hills that brings cool Pacific air across Diamond Mountain, this is also the coolest of the three sites. Aromatically, this 2005 has a lot in common with the wine from the north-facing Red Rock Terrace. The fruit grows increasingly wild, untamed and energized as it takes on air, red cherry and strawberry with the fatness of petit verdot (as in St-Julien, a tiny portion can go a long way). The fine tannins add a sagebrush flavor to the wine, seeming to add the scent of the California hills.