2012 Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard Merlot

Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard was founded by Freddy and Mary Constant. The couple established Diamond Mountain Vineyard in 1993 when they bought a dilapidated but historic farmhouse high on Diamond Mountain. At 2121 feet above sea level, it may be the highest, or certainly one of the highest, vineyards in the region. The couple had backgrounds as radio station entrepreneurs but their plan on Diamond Mountain was to grow and sell grapes to winemakers. However with the 1995 vintage they started making very small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon under their own label and by 1999 Wine Spectator wrote that Constant was “a new can’t miss Cabernet…this vineyard is able to produce stunning wines on a consistent basis.” Constant produces very small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Claret and Syrah from estate vineyards. The wines are generally available only through Constant’s mailing list. Freddy Constant died in 2014.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

The Merlot grape is such a deep blue that it is named for the blackbird. It’s an early ripening grape and one of the primary varietals used In Bordeaux. Merlot is also grown in the "International style," which is harvested later to bring out more tannins and body.