Wine & Spirits - December 2020 - 61

schriber joined him in the 1990s to make the
wines and plan the replanting of the estate,
the two continued to keep the fruit from
each vineyard separate. Neither Al's widow,
Boots, nor Steinschriber, ever mentioned this
blend. It wasn't until Maison Louis Roederer
purchased the estate in the spring of 2020
that the new president, Nicole Carter, and
the new winemaker, Graham Wehmeier,
began tasting through the entirety of the cellar with Phil Steinschriber that he shared it
with them, made as an experiment in a few
vintages. The 2013, in particular, impressed
Carter and she decided to release a limited
amount of the wine. The blend is 70 percent
from Volcanic Hill, 25 percent from Red
Rock Terrace and five percent from Gravelly Meadow. It's a beautiful, supple cabernet from a great vintage, a sunny grand vin
with generous plum-rich fruit and mineral
tannins. - J.G. §
517951

93 | Diamond Creek

$250

2016 Diamond Mountain District Napa
Valley Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This is a rich vintage of Red Rock,
a classic bottling from a north-facing hill of
deep, iron-infused soil across from the white
ground at Volcanic Hill. The 2016 has the
brightness of its sibling, the fruit bold and

Final_art_CNB_Wine&Spirts_Magazine_7.875x 4.75_dominiq.indd 1

juicy in dimpled black-cherry ripeness. The
terroir impression is hidden by new oak at
the moment, the toastiness pointing up the
wine's sweet fruit, the wine ending on some
wood tannins. This needs a few years in bottle to integrate, and will likely be ready to
drink a few years before Volcanic Hill. -J.G.
(W&S 2/20) §
518802

92 | Baldacci

H O W E L L M O U N TA I N

$135

2016 Diamond Mountain District Napa
Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This comes
from a block of the Baldacci family's Stella
Knight Vineyard that falls within the Diamond Mountain District, west of Highway
29 at the base of Diamond Mountain Road.
In 2016, it produced a cabernet that's tense
and floral, with beautiful red-fruit richness.
Scents of cardamom and Indian spice layer
over the supple, plush fruit. It's a wine with
intensity and grace, suited to long development in the cellar. -J.G. (W&S 2/20; 1,027
cases) §
521590

89 | Gibbs

blackberry and black plum flavors come
with some floral notes, the wine's weight
and fullness contrasted by that lasting coolness. - J.G. §

$55

2015 Diamond Mountain District Napa
Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Best Buy) ^
This wine carries the cool tannins of Diamond Mountain cabernet, here a little bitter and dry against the wine's dark fruit. The

519205

94 | Roots Run Deep

$150

2016 Howell Mountain Napa Valley The
Graduate Cabernet Sauvignon ^ In 2017,
Macario Montoya joined Mark Albrecht's
team at Roots Run Deep as winemaker; he
took on the blending of four 2016 "Higher
Education" cabernets. Each originates at a
different block in the vineyard, which ranges
in elevation from 1,700 to 2,000 feet; each
is fermented with a different strain of yeasts
and aged in different cooperage. This one
spends its time in Seguin Moreau barrels,

10/15/20 1:38 PM

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Wine & Spirits - December 2020

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