Volcanic Hill - 96 Pts

 Dark and winey, with steeped red and black currant fruit flavors that rumble through, laced with a prominent iron minerality and a streak of ash, plus wild herb and savory notes. The finish is grippy and long, with lingering hints of singed mesquite and alder. Distinctive and in need of cellaring.

Red Rock Terrace - 95 Pts

 Dark and winey, with plum reduction, mulberry paste, and blackberry compote flavors compressed with notes of ganache, roasted apple wood, and licorice root. A violet flash on the finish adds lift. There's plenty of energy in reserve for the cellar, too.

Volcanic Hill - 98 Pts

 From the 3ha Volcanic Hill single vineyard. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fermentation in small, open-top fermenters, followed by a cold soak and gentle extraction of up to 21 days on skins. Aged 20 months in nearly 75% new French Oak and aged one year in bottle before release. Perhaps the darkest and most showy of the wines in 2021 in terms of its aromatics, boasting black plum and blue fruit notes and slatestone, with full-bodied richness, plush, seductive dark-berry fruits, and darker earth mineral character nuanced by grilled herbs. Crisp, ripe tannins are super compact, layering in a solid foundation to support all the ripe, dark fruit character. There's plenty of tension here, too. During my visit in June of 2024, Nicole Carter (president) and winemaker Graham Wehmeier took me on a tour of the property to get an upfront and close look at Diamond Creek's single vineyards (Volcanic Hill, Gravelly Meadow, and Red Rock Terrace). There is a good amount of replanting going on, and as the young vine fruit comes online shortly, much of it will likely get blended into their Three Vineyard Blend as the winery's entry-level bottling. Graham, who joined in 2020, has dialled down the toast levels on the oak and is exploring new cooperages. Suffice it to say, the wines are more expressive of the site than ever, with a freshness factor dialled way up.

Red Rock Terrace - 99 Pts

 From the 2ha Red Rock Terrace single vineyard. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon with 6% Petit Verdot and 6% Malbec (the estate's non-Cabernet Sauvignon varieties are mostly planted at the bottom of Volcanic Hill). Fermentation in small, open-top fermenters, followed by a cold soak and gentle extraction of up to 21 days on skins. Aged 20 months in nearly 75% new French Oak and aged one year in bottle before release. Super perfumed nose of rose petals, cassis, olive tapenade, and mocha spices. Medium to full-bodied with generous, mineral-laced red berry fruits, black cherry, and pomegranate seed. This is a precise and beautifully polished wine with a Pauillac-like quality in this mesmerising mineral character and pure-fruited precision. Nuances of white pepper and sagebrush layer in complexity, and a wealth of firm tannins are underscored by a spine of racy acidity. Tension, tension, tension. This may be one of the most age-worthy Red Rock Terrace bottlings yet. Let's check back in around 2050, with several intermittent ‘check-ins’ along the way. During my visit in June of 2024, Nicole Carter (president) and winemaker Graham Wehmeier took me on a tour of the property to get an upfront and close look at Diamond Creek's single vineyards (Volcanic Hill, Gravelly Meadow, and Red Rock Terrace). Graham, who joined in 2020, has dialled down the toast levels on the oak and is exploring new cooperages. The wines are more expressive of site than ever, with a freshness factor dialled way up.

Gravelly Meadow - 97 Pts

 A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 8% Malbec. Fermentation in small, open-top fermenters, followed by a cold soak and gentle extraction of up to 21 days on skins, aged 20 months in nearly 75% new French Oak and one year in bottle before release. The case counts of the three single vineyard Diamond Creek wines are significantly lower in 2021, with just 250 cases made from the 1.5ha Gravelly Meadow site on an ancient riverbed. The nose is so aromatically enticing with bright cranberry and raspberry fruit, sandalwood, and a subtle chocolaty quality intermixed with dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied with a deep mid-palate concentration of very pure red berry fruit immediately nuanced by river stone minerality and framed by velvety tannins, which build precision and layers. It is a tremendous wine with lots of tension and energy. It is more relaxed than Red Rock Terrace and less powerful or dense than Volcanic Hill in this vintage, but the 'Goldilocks' of the single vineyards this year. During my visit in June of 2024, Nicole Carter (president) and winemaker Graham Wehmeier took me on a tour of the property to get an upfront and close look at Diamond Creek's single vineyards (Volcanic Hill, Gravelly Meadow, and Red Rock Terrace). There is a good amount of replanting going on, and as the young vine fruit comes online in the near future, much of it will likely get blended into their Three Vineyard Blend as the winery's entry-level bottling. Graham, who joined in 2020, has dialled down the toast levels on the oak and is exploring new cooperages. The wines are more expressive of the site than ever before, with a freshness factor dialled way up.