From Diamond Creek Vineyards on California’s Diamond Mountain, the 2009 Volcanic Hill is one of Napa Valley’s most distinctive and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignons. Planted in 1968 on a south-facing hillside of pale, porous volcanic ash, this is the estate’s warmest site and typically produces its most powerful expression of Cabernet. The 2009 delivers a compelling mix of blackcurrant, blackberry and dark cherry, with layers of graphite, tobacco, cedar, smoke and earthy mineral character. Full-bodied and deeply concentrated, it has the firm mountain tannins and vibrant acidity that have allowed the wine to mature gracefully over more than a decade, while retaining impressive energy and depth. There is a wonderful tension between ripe Californian fruit and savoury, almost Bordeaux-like complexity. A remarkable mature Napa Cabernet, showing both the power of its volcanic site and the elegance that comes with bottle age.