1978 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace
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Average Score
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The first single-vineyard bottler in the Napa Valley? Very stony and impressive on both nose and palate. Racy, extreme and tending to acid but brave. The opposite of fruity. (JR)
The 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace was a bit more forward and resolved than the 1975 Volcanic Hill, but with these intensely tannic wines, that wasn't a bad thing. I loved the silky, polished finish.
Last Tasted 12/91 Very opaque in color, with an extraordinary bouquet of super-sweet, jammy fruit, cedar, herbs, wood, and spices, this highly extracted, full-bodied wine still displays considerable tannic clout, as well as plenty of alcohol and concentration in the long finish. Like other wines from Diamond Creek, it has thrown a lot of sediment, so decanting is suggested.
About the producer
Diamond Creek, Napa’s first single-vineyard Cabernet estate, has defined terroir-driven winemaking since 1968. Founded by Al and Boots Brounstein, the winery pioneered site-specific Cabernet, producing age-worthy wines from Gravelly Meadow, Red Rock Terrace and Volcanic Hill.