Cellar Favorite: 1977 Diamond Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill

BY NEAL MARTIN | MAY 27 2025

Do me a favour…If the 1977 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill is not in my top ten wines of the year come December, send a rude message to the usual address. Vinous forum regular Robert Dentice generously poured this sublime mature Napa Cabernet Sauvignon during my trip to New York for Vinous Icons earlier this year. These vines were planted in 1968 from smuggled Bordeaux rootstock on volcanic ash soil, hence the name, debuting in the inauspicious 1972 vintage and prefiguring California’s focus upon single-vineyard sites. I used to meet Diamond Creek’s founders, Al and Boots Brounstein, in London in the salad days of my career. I remember them being so friendly to this nobody who was wet behind the ears, especially with regards to Californian wine, so I have an affection for this estate that was acquired by the Rouzard family in 2020.

Even in its fourth decade, the 1977 Volcanic Hill shows little ageing in the glass, attesting to what is reputedly Diamond Creek’s longest-lived Cabernet Sauvignon. The bouquet is heavenly: black plum, cedar, star anise and a hint of iodine, all delivered with tremendous vivacity and sophistication. Frankly, I could just inhale this all night! The palate does not disappoint after those wondrous aromatics. Layers of mainly red fruit are so seductive that they almost disguise the lattice of fine tannins. Nuanced notes of orange pith, tobacco and black truffle emerge with modest aeration, but it is the composure of this Volcanic Hill that leaves you smitten. This bottle had clearly benefitted from its provenance. It could give another 20 years of drinking pleasure, which is about 20 years longer than any ’77 claret. 97/Drink 2025-2045.

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