Diamond Mountain District: The secret gem of the Napa Valley

The secret GEM

of the Napa Valley

Diamond Mountain produces inimitable wines

LAYNE RANDOLPH

There’s so much history in the hills and valleys of the illustrious Napa Valley region. A large part of that history involves the earliest pioneers, those who came for the Gold Rush, and those who relocated themselves from other countries to pursue their craft, namely, growing wine grapes.

Imagine seeing what we now know as Diamond Mountain for the first time, sparkling in the sunshine, full of promise and allure. While the sparkles were not actual diamonds, the eventual product would be almost as valuable and rare. Diamond Mountain is known for being home to some of the most exquisite wines in the world, and it is itself considered a secret gem.

The “diamonds” on Diamond Mountain were pieces of reflective volcanic glass from the ancient volcanic soils of the area. These soils are well-drained, porous, and infertile — the perfect combination to produce small, concentrated berries with thick skins. As a result, Diamond Mountain District’s inky, complex wines are known for their distinctively earthy, almost-chocolate flavors and rich, opulent tannins. The area, now known as Diamond Mountain District, has been home to vineyards and wineries for over a century. In the 1860s, German immigrant Jacob Schram planted his first vines, eventually totaling 100 acres of vineyards by 1892. Schram founded Schramsberg Vineyard before Phylloxera and Prohibition forced him, like so many others, to shut his doors in the early 1900s. The Schramsberg property was essentially a ghost winery for the next 50 years until the Davies family purchased it and brought the parcel back to life in 1965 with Davies Vineyards.

Photos by TIM CARL PHOTOGRAPHY

Above: Kisha and Jason Itkin of Theorem Vineyards in the Diamond Mountain AVA in 2019. Right: Jen and Francis Ranin are the owners of the Rainin Vineyard in the Diamond Mountain appellation in the hills west of Calistoga.

Sarah Klearman, Register

Designer Geoffrey Curley, left, plans a shot of McEacharn Vineyard at Schramsberg Vineyards with President Hugh Davies, right, as part of the 360 degree virtual tour Curley is putting together for the

winery. Schramsberg is perhaps the best known winery in the Diamond Mountain AVA.

Decades later, in 2001, what we now know as The Diamond Mountain District received official sub-appellation status. Rudy von Strasser of Von Strasser Winery and 15 other Diamond Mountain winegrowers formed the Diamond Mountain Appellation Committee. They formally petitioned the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to designate the zone a sub-appellation of the Napa Valley AVA. The committee argued that the microclimate of the mountain was so distinct from surrounding areas that it warranted its own geographical boundary and appellation designation.

The Diamond Mountain District AVA (American Viticultural Area) sits at elevations up to 1,700 feet in the Mayacamas Mountain range west of Napa Valley near Calistoga. It encompasses around 5,000 acres, of which less than 500 are planted to vines, making this the smallest AVA in the Napa Valley.

Diamond Mountain District is slightly warmer than Spring Mountain District to the south, but both areas experience the cooling influence of marine breezes from the Pacific Ocean. The climate is significantly cooler than the Napa Valley floor and the adjacent area to the west, Sonoma County.

The volcanic soils, topography, and more temperate climate combine to provide an ideal setting for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. Diamond Mountain District wines tend to be tannic, structured, and lush with mountain fruit intensity and great age-worthiness.