Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Lake

To Tony (La Grange Park, IL) : From magnum. Mind-boggling how obnoxiously young this is. Served blind, I'd probably guess something like 1991 (though it's not as fruit-forward and ripe) or 1992 (probably a better guess). There's a bit of chocolate and cacao going on with this wine, but coupled with the way the fruit shows (secondary at best) and how youthful those big tannins are here, it all works in perfect balance. That this feels kind of chewy on …

1978 vintage

blind, side by side with the 1974 Both bottles were in perfect shape. Most of us guessed Bordeaux, some California. Very elegant, not fruit dominated, refreshing acidity. We were all much younger. The 74 slightly outshined the great 78. 96-97

1978 vintage

Not quite as exceptional as the last bottle, but that’s not a dig. Rich and full of life, smoky and leathery, blind I’d think it was Bordeaux. Had along a 67 mouton, and this was the head and shoulders winner. With steak dinner though the mouton paired better, this drank better solo.

1978 vintage

Unfortunately in decline. A friend brought to dinner at our house tonight. He bought it upon release 45 years ago. It was not stored in ideal conditions, mostly at room temperature, hence the condition. Muted and stale nose, but great dark garnet color, no hint of oxidation in appearance. 3/4 neck fill. Cork 3/4 saturated and broke off upon opening. Lots of sediment. Little finish and tannins, distinct stale and tired taste. It was drinkable, however, and we drank the …

1978 vintage

Wow, what a wine. Was really concerned as the cork had been leaking and after standing upright for a day had fallen out into the wine. Decanted and let open for 2-3 hours. Beautiful nose, elegant earthy and minerals, harmonious. Deep rich color. Vibrant as hell, earthy and still tannic, mid palate hit of vanilla and a long soft finish. Chewy. Yum. Didn’t know what to expect at all, but boy was I not disappointed.

1978 vintage

Excellent and still great fruit balanced by moderate tannins. Old but still has years of life left in it.

1978 vintage

High fill. Perfect cork. Decanted. Full color. Medium plus acidity. Substantial but well evolved tannins. Complex flavor with a slightly bitter finish. Excellent to outstanding mature Cabernet, that for my taste was already past peak. 93-94

1978 vintage

This is everything classic California Cab can be at its peak. Loaded with cedar, tobacco leaf, red currants, herbs, spice, cigar box and olives, the wine remains vibrant, with a refined, rustic charm, loads of ripe currants and a long, savory, earthy finish. Fully mature, this is my favorite old-school California Cab. Sadly, it has become insanely expensive, but so has everything else. If you have a bottle, you are sitting on liquid gold.

1978 vintage

Dinner w/new friends in Jax (Friend's house) : From memory (in a week that included a lot of wine). This was decanted and served blind. I thought left bank Bordeaux but isn't that always the way with these Calis? It's very good, but I thought a bit overshadowed by the 82 Dunn we had alongside it (whose nose was completely intoxicating and it went from there). This was more restrained, more quiet. Perhaps in a slight dumber phase? Or maybe …

1978 vintage

1978 Diamond Creek and Monte Bello (MP Taverna, Irvington, NY) : pure cab, tons of fruit, a bit sweeter than the GM or RR, but very indicative of the grapes. Loads of tannins, long long life ahead.

1978 vintage

Wow, this is still a loaded wine with delicious dark fruit and great depth. Silky-fine with age but still powerful with excellent richness and intensity. Finishes with slightly course tannins and superb complexity with notes of smoky cassis and floral spices. Fabulous juice with lots of life left.

1978 vintage

1978 Diamond Creek and Monte Bello (MP Taverna, Irvington, NY) : takes awhile to open up, but then shows beautiful fruit and more of the classic cab tertiary flavors. Loads of cassis, leather, brilliant long lingering finish. Does have a small iodine note, but it plays very well. Pales compared to VH and GM, but a fine wine.

1978 vintage

This was just a bit behind both the Gravelly Meadow and Volcanic Hill, at least on this occasion. Very sleek and refined with a silky, aged texture but a bit more muted with less fruit than the others. Still a very fine aged Cabernet and it came on in the glass but never reached the heights of the other two. I gave a 97 to the bottle I drank 3 years ago.

1978 vintage

One of the best Cabernet Sauvignon wines I have had, from any region. The nose was mind blowing. So much complexity and very rhone like with huge amounts of barnyard. Developed more fruit with air as cherries and blackberries subtly appear. But this was superb. Better than any 78 bordeaux I have tried. Shared by SW

1978 vintage

Gorgeous wine. '78 Diamond Creek's are special and this was in the zone. Still has lots of structure/fruit to hold longer.

1978 vintage

Dinner at Nico Osteria (Chicago, IL) : I think the thing that is the most mind-boggling about this wine is its primordial freshness. The nose shows a mild bit of volatility, but it's not too distracting. There's just so much black fruit here, as well as a mild bit of dust, but then on the palate, you get this incredible amount of tannin. There's no way this is anywhere close to ready -- the tannins feel unresolved! This is one …

1978 vintage

Dinner at Nico Osteria : How on earth does a 40 year old Cabernet have this kind of intensity, brightness, and power? Just a spectacular wine with so much depth and shockingly youthful intensity - layers upon layers of black fruit, oak, earth, cedar wood, and dill/other herbal notes all coming together seamlessly on the palate, and still some brooding tannin on the back end. Just an amazing, age-defying wine.

1978 vintage

One of those bucket list wines and this delivers. Classic Cali Cab that is still fresh with serious amounts of depth and complexity that an only come with time. Very BDX like with oodles of cedar, tobacco and bell pepper integrated with maturing fruit. Palate far exceeds the aromas, but the nose is no slouch.

1978 vintage

Just an incredible wine. So young and vibrant.

1978 vintage

Deep, dark garnet in color with ever-so-slight bricking & clearing at the edges. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with overtones of floral, eucalyptus & earthy/dusty notes, tobacco, leather, spices, mint, minerals, some mocha, smoky & a hint of cedar in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with spices, herbs, minerals, cocoa. mushrooms …

1978 vintage

This bottle was spellbinding! It tasted like it was 15-20 years old, not 40. Still concentrated, deep, fresh, vibrant and dark, the is a depth of flavor here, coupled with palate coating intensity, that makes it impossible not to take another sip. The dark berries are fresh, with energy, length and complexity. The wine has become shockingly expensive over the past few years, but it is a remarkable tasting experience for those interested in the best classic California Cabernet Sauvignon …

1978 vintage

Very ripe with excellent intensity and great flavors of boysenberry, blsck raspberry and eucalyptus. A really bright and savory texture with a lovely mature finish with notes of taut rocks and minerals. Doesn’t have the complexity or intensity of the RRT but is still so fine in its own right. Ready to go...

1978 vintage

Another extraordinary wine from the golden age of California Cabernet. Incredible nose of eucalyptus and dark raspberry. Great acidity and freshness on the palate with fabulous flavors of dark raspberry, smoky cedar and eucalyptus and the texture just oozes classic Cabernet silkiness and power. Just a stunningly complex and taut finish with notes of spices and minerals. Makes it very clear how many decades have since been lost in Napa and California to sugar syrup.

1978 vintage

This is what great, aged, California Cabernet is all about. Powerful concentrated, rich, complex and loaded with ripe, juicy, Cabernet Sauvignon, cedar, tobacco and spice. The wine has depth, length and complexity and it's young and fresh!

1978 vintage

Purchased on release and stored from a single owner cellar. slow ox'd 5 hours, sat in my glass for 3 hours. The wine was a gorgeous perfume of mint, forest floor and dark fruit just blossoming out of the glass. It just filled the table up when it was poured. What an incredibly youthful wine for a 78. Stuffed to the gills with complex dark notes of light tobacco, lively dark berries filled with a clean cut minerality that sparkles …

1978 vintage

Dark garnet color. Menthol and fruit tending more towards darker, cool classic Napa tones. Some mature notes, but still young overall. A great weight and texture to the palate. Some coarse tannins remain, but the balance is stunning. Amazing wine.

1978 vintage

1978 California with John Gilman (Craft) : Classic, tannic, great structure and fruit. 1978 Cali Cab Tasting

1978 vintage

Diamond Creek Rare Wine Dinner (Charlie Palmer Steak) : Pure, clean, and very fresh nose of ripe red and blue berry fruit. Smells fairly juicy actually. Deep and rich fully developed fruit on the palate, very expansive. Fruit, but more advanced, like a juicy tomato. Beautiful on both nose and palate. Long robust finish. A very unique and special wine for sure.

1978 vintage

Diamond Creek Rare Wine Dinner (Charlie Palmer Steak) : Red and black fruit on the nose with minty and menthol notes. The palate is so rich and vibrant, amazing that this is 38 years old. Good wine to drink right now. Superior to both the ’78 Gravelly Meadow and Volcanic Hill.

1978 vintage

Diamond Creek Rare Wine Dinner (Charlie Palmer Steak) : Good nose of mint, menthol, and some smoke on top of rustic earth tones. Palate is good as well but this ends up being unduly tannic. Good but a little big and tough.

1978 vintage

Stunning in every sense of the word, this tasted like it was at least 20 years younger than its true age. The nose reminded me of a First Growth Pauillac, with its tobacco, herbs, earth, cassis, blackberry and cedar wood profile. Fresh, lively, ripe fruits fill your palate with the right amount of acidity and fruit to make you go back for sip after sip.

1978 vintage

1978 Big Boys + friends (Riverpark, NYC) : Firing on all cylinders. Leaps out of the glass with redcurrant, mint, honey, and a really distinctive Sierra Mist smell. Very fresh and lively with a light-framed body, refreshing acidity, an almost frizzante texture. Makes me envision a bumblebee buzzing around just-bloomed flowers in a spring meadow.

1978 vintage

1978s + others at Riverpark : Explosive, sweet ripe black fruit on the nose, blackberries and plums. The fruit is sweet and fresh and leaps from the glass, and in the mouth the fruit is rich and lush and concentrated. But for a wine of this caliber, it's a bit one-note -- there's nothing like the complexity of the LMHB next to it -- and the tannins are just a touch rough around the edges and unrefined. I preferred the …

1978 vintage

1978 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill announced its presence with cedar wood, cassis, tobacco, truffle, earth, smoke and forest floor aromatics. Full bodied with layers of cassis, spice and blackberry, this mineral driven expression of Cabernet Sauvignon would more than hold its own in a blind tasting against the First Growths. I've been able to taste the wine a lot over the years and as good as this bottle was, I've had even better bottles! If you want to experience one …

1978 vintage

Tobacco, cigar box, creme de cassis, truffle, smoke, forest floor and dark plums always make me think of Pauillac. Served blind, that was my guess. Wrong. This vintage Caliifornia Cabernet Sauvignon would fool most people. Full bodied and concentrated, this powerful, fully mature wine ends with cassis, cranberry and spice. I have tasted better bottles. At almost 34 years of age, perhaps it's a sign that the wine needs drinking.

1978 vintage

Very dark red violet color with slight bricking; herb, sage, tart black currant, tart plum, brett nose; maturing, softer and more resolved than the '78 Red Rock Terrace, tart black fruit, tar, mineral palate with a touch of sage and green herbs; medium-plus finish 93+ points (12.5% alcohol)

1978 vintage

Very dark red violet color with very slight bricking; youthful, ripe cassis, mint, gravel, light green herb nose; tasty, complex, poised, silky textured, medium bodied, tart black currant, mineral palate with firm, sweet tannins; long finish 96+ points (12.5% alcohol)

1978 vintage

1978 Diamond Creek Lake grabbed your attention as soon as your nose met the glass. The complex aromas of scorched earth, smoke, tobacco, cassis, blackberry, caramel, black cherry and charcoal let you know this was a stunning wine. In the mouth, its concentrated, full bodied, rich, deep and packed with flavor. The long, pure finish was filled with endless layers of cassis, earth and spice. This is probably the best bottle of mature California Cabernet Sauvignon I’ve had the privilege …

1978 vintage

1978 Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace offered earth, smoke, caramel, blackberry and tobacco scents led to a structured, powerful, full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with a fresh, ripe, long finish.

1978 vintage

Cork in good shape, the wine was decanted off sediment, and tasted immediately. This 34 (!) year old wine is at the end of plateau but it was great. Garnet with brick rim, this has cassis, berries, eucalyptus, spice, stone, and some wood notes, all lingering nicely ~45 seconds. A really nice texture and resolved tannins. I liked the '78 VH a lot better at 20 yrs old, but that's apples and oranges....

1978 vintage

Various Vintage California Wine Dinner - Corkbuzz in NYC (Corkbuzz - NYC) : Drank this along side the 1981 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill and this one had much richer stewed fruit with a richer tannin structure. Excellent cedar, boxed wood, tobacco, leather, all spice w/ that bordeaux aged light weight and lavender. Stewed cherry and strawberry which shows maybe fruit probably dying a little in this wine. would drink now if not already a little missed on this. Paired w/ …

1978 vintage

Jack's Birthday Bash (Jupiter, FL) : No bricking and surprisingly youthful both on the palate and to the eye. Dark cherry and currant fruit with medium body and acidity and good concentration that belies its 12.5% alcohol. Plenty of earth, with a little cedar and tobacco, and some herbal/menthol notes that hinted it was from CA rather than Bordeaux. Terrific wine.

1978 vintage

Red Rock Terrace Cassis, stone, earth, blackberry, truffle and tobacco get you interested in a powerful full bodied, concentrated wine that served blind, would fool any taster into thinking it was an upper level Pauillac from a good vintage.

1978 vintage

Blind tasting of four 1978 Cabernet Sauvignons. First place. Nice inky nose of black cherry fruit with hints of saddle leather and cedar, more of the same on the palate, very supple and rich tasting, tannins fully resolved, nice medium/long finish with hints of leather and cedar on the aftertaste.

1978 vintage

Opened at our anniversary dinner along with a 1982 Haut Brion (our friends contribution) which we figured would be the best paring. Sommelier decanted both and we offered a pour to him. He took the HB first and disappeared into the kitchen to share with the chef. On his return he prounounced it a classic Haut Brion and a fabulous wine. The four of us agreed. He then took the Lake back to taste and came come back to say …

1978 vintage

1978 Cabernets (and Margaux) Blindtasted (Palo Alto, California) : Group's #6 (my #5) – 54 pts; 0, 3, 3, 0 – Medium red violet with clear meniscus; focused ripe cherry and tart berry nose; tart plum and cassis entry with a tangy mid-palate that opens, softens and deepens; medium-plus finish

1978 vintage

Edward Roberts Pre-Auction Tasting (Columbia Yacht Club) : Ruby color, turning brown toward the rim. Aromas of tar, gravel and black currants. Decent fruit remaining on the palate, but it turns acidic on the finish. I revisited this toward the end of the tasting, about an hour after my initial note. It's added an earthy note, along with cedar, floral and red fruit tones. The overly acidic quality to the finish is gone, and what's left is very enjoyable.

1978 vintage

RICH LINGERING FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR WITH BLACK CHERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, CURRANTS, AND LEATHER. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.

1978 vintage

Color still quite deep, brick edge. Nose a bit skunky but intense. Flavors delicious, slightly acidic but fully mature. Resiny, berries. Long finish.

1978 vintage

Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ lots of Burgs (NYC) : What a wine. Still going strong for a California wine. Gravel, earth, but still a good amount of fruit. Killer finish. A wow wine. It not only survived, it shined!

1978 vintage

Are you sure?

Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Lake

Vintages

Community Reviews