United States · California

Diamond Creek

Diamond Creek Vineyards in Diamond Mountain District, Calistoga, was established in 1968 by Al Brounstein and is among Napa Valley's earliest and most celebrated terroir-focused estates. Brounstein identified three geologically distinct soil types across his 20-acre property—Gravelly Meadow (volcanic ash-based), Volcanic Hill (volcanic soils), and Red Rock Terrace (iron-rich clay)—and vinified each separately, producing three single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons that have been made continuously since 1972. This single-vineyard philosophy, radical at the time, predated the current Napa obsession with site specificity by decades. A fourth wine, the Three Vineyard Blend, has been made in select years. At auction, 985 lots average $347 per bottle with prices reaching $4,780—among the highest averages for any Napa Cabernet estate. The 2016 vintage is the top auction year. Volcanic Hill is the most structured and longest-lived, while Gravelly Meadow is often considered the most elegant. The estate was acquired by Constellation Brands in 2004 then sold independently to private buyers in 2021, preserving boutique operations and small production of roughly 3,000 cases annually.