Diamond Creek Vineyards

The vineyard work began in 1968 and, in 1972, the last and perhaps most famous site, Lake, was planted to bring the total land under vine to 25 acres. Lake is by far the coolest of the sites, and most years its single vineyard bottling and is blended into Gravelly Meadow. The first vintage of Red Rock and Volcanic Hill was from 1972, with Gravelly following in 1973, and Lake producing its first wine in 1978.

The winemaking at first was as basic as it could be, with the wines fermented outside in redwood tanks in the middle of the vineyard. They were eventually moved inside in 1981, with the addition of stainless steel in 1998. Historically, there was a fair amount of new French oak used, usually between 50-70%, but in the 1990s that number increased to roughly 90-100%, with an added degree of ripeness coming with it. The wines spend about two years in barrel before bottling. They have always retained their core identity and stood the test of time, with an incredible degree of consistency across the 50-plus years of production.

Stylistically, there is some commonality between all four wines, sharing a significant tannin structure, elevated acidity and general intensity. Volcanic Hill shows the most exotic spice and generally the most aggressive tannins, while Red Rock Terrace is driven more by softer red fruits and managed tannins, generally showing well in its youth. Gravelly Meadow and Lake tend to skew more towards a dark fruit profile, with pronounced minerality and clear herbaceous tones.