Napa’s Nested AVAs: Diamond Mountain District
"Diamond Mountain District wines feature great tannin structure and rather than big red fruit like raspberry or blackberry, there are lovely blue fruit characters, plum, currant, cherry, fruit flavors with wonderful structure and minerality."
- Dawnine Dyer, Dyer Wine
The history of Diamond Mountain District as a wine growing area begins in 1862, when Jacob Schram (Pictured left) purchased property on the east side of Diamond Mountain for the purposes of planting grape vines. He had previously worked as a barber in White Sulpher Springs and Napa City before moving to Diamond Mountain for his health. Schram and his wife went into the fields themselves and planted a small section of grapevines. From this humble beginning, "Schramsberger" wine went on to become one of the most recognizable brands in the world. To this day Schramsberg winery still bears his name.
Similar to other appellations in Napa Valley, wine production in Diamond Mountain District diminished during the outbreak of Phylloxera in the 1890's and then Prohibition in the 1920's. However, in the mid-1960's wine production returned to Diamond Mountain when the old Schramsberg property (Pictured right) was purchased by Jack and Jamie Davies. Other winemakers returned as well in through the 1960's and 1970's, with Al Brounstein, Rudy Von Strasser and Andre Tchelistcheff developing vineyards in the area.
The Diamond Mountain AVA is located in northwestern Napa County. The Diamond Mountain District rises up into the east side of the Mayacamas mountains, southeast of Calistoga and is named after the prodigious amounts of obsidian and volcanic glass present in the volcanic soils. The Diamond Mountain District AVA benefits from its relatively higher elevation by facing less extreme heat than the valley floor and typically remains frost-free during the winter months. The Diamond Creek river drainage allows a channel of cool air to penetrate the hillside, prolonging the growing season and mitigating late season heat spikes. Furthermore, as the majority of vineyards are east-facing, they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. These factors, along with the elevation and meager soils, combine to make for powerful ripe wines that are rich in sturdy tannins and bright acidity making Cabernet Sauvignon the dominant grape. The soils are primarily volcanic in origin though aren’t as red in hue as found regularly across the valley. As with Mount Veeder, much of the terrain of Diamond Mountain is too severe to be cultivated, so the majority of the mountain remains covered in thick redwoods.
Wines from Diamond Mountain District are secret gems when it comes to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Collectors and critics prize wines from the Napa Valley’s smallest American Viticultural Area (AVA) for their elegance, intense flavors of dark fruit and cocoa, velvety tannins and ageability.
Diamond Mountain’s reputation as an ideal place for making stellar wine began 150 years ago. German immigrant Jacob Schram, who founded Schramsberg Vineyards in 1868, was one of the first to realize its potential. A century later, Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon earned worldwide fame when Al and Boots Brounstein founded Diamond Creek Vineyards in 1968. They created the Napa Valley’s first single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, and along with pioneers like Rudy Von Strasser and Robert Craig, made Diamond Mountain Cabs some of the most prized in the entire valley.
The secret lies in the soil. Grab a handful of dirt in a Diamond Mountain vineyard it’s studded with crystals and obsidian glass that sparkles like black diamonds. The mountain got its name from these shimmering reminders of a volcanic eruption as the Mayacamas Mountain range was formed thousands of years ago. Volcanic soil is rocky and drains quickly, so grape vines planted here send out deep roots to find enough water and nourishment.
Single-vineyard and single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon has become the idealized model for Diamond Mountain wines. You'll find a range of Cabernet Sauvignon from grippy and rustic to smoky-smooth depending on the producer, but the thing they all share in common is intensity. Another wine that's incredible on these peaks is Syrah. Producers here get their inspiration from Côte Rôtie and produce a meaty, savory and bacon-fat style Syrah.
