THE JEFFERSON CLUB - DECEMBER 2019
This month, for Just A Taste’s Jefferson Club, we take a look at a unique blend from Napa Valley’s Diamond Mountain producer, von Strasser.
“Not only did Rudy spearhead the effort to turn Diamond Mountain District into a distinct AVA, he assembled a core of the AVA’s best vineyards... from Sori Bricco Vineyard, Spaulding Vineyard, Post Vineyard, Agira Vineyard, Diamond Terraces Vineyard, Rainin Vineyard and Vineyard 2131.”
diamond mountain
Diamond Mountain AVA is one of Napa’s more northerly sub-appellations and as such benefits from a slightly cooler growing climate. This, when combined with the higher elevation, allows for a cooler and longer growing season resulting in Cabernet of dense, round structure and more notable freshness. Early pioneers, including Al Brounstein of Diamond Creek Vineyards, noticed the unique soil variations throughout the AVA, of which volcanic glass “diamonds” are included, and were among the first producers to separate and label individual vineyards. < Want to learn more about the Diamond Mountain AVA, click here! >
von Strasser “Reserve” 2013
Producer: von Strasser
Winemaker: Rudy von Strasser
Region: USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain AVA
Grape Varietal: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Petit Verdot, small amounts of Merlot and Malbec
Viticulture: ashy, fine-grained, well-draining soil with volcanic glass shards (diamonds)
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Serving Suggestions: decant and serve at 60-65 F, serve with braised red meat
Age: drink 2022-2030
Nose: dark cherry, raspberry cordial, exotic spices, intense perfume, cigar box
Palate: medium-plus body with round, firm tannins and silky texture
Finish: spice and fruit supported by lingering acidity and tannins
Rudy von Strasser
Rudy von Strasser enjoyed a range of experiences working for wineries of the likes of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and Trefethen, but eventually he took the path most classically trained enologists do; he desired to start his own brand. In 1989, Rudy, along with his wife Rita, he found a site suitable to his desires in Diamond Mountain. Since then, he has become known for producing excellent Cabernet Sauvignon from his estate vineyards as well as several vineyard-designated labels from other growers. < For further reading about Rudy’s career or von Strasser’s story, check out this link! >
About the wine
While von Strasser is known for elegant, structured Cabernet Sauvignon, his top wine, simply labeled “Reserve,” is a unique blend of Cabernet with Petit Verdot and only made in excellent years. Though Petit Verdot is common to the Bordeaux blend, it is typically only used in small amounts, in the realm of 2% to 12%. In the wine, it adds more dense structure with intense perfumed and exotic spice aromas. < For more information about Petit Verdot, check out WineFolly! >
The aromatics of this wine put it in my top wines of 2019; however, the dense structure from the Petit Verdot still needs time to mellow out. I’d recommend holding onto this bottle for a few years for it to become more in balance.
Recommended Drinking Window: 2022-2030