2012 Wallis Family Estate Seraphim Cabernet Sauvignon

Wallis Family Estate was started by Edward Wallis in 1975, even though it would be decades before it produced wine. Barely out of college in 1975, Wallis was drawn by the estate’s dramatic 85-acre site on Diamond Mountain Road and its “castle” and carriage house. The buildings date from the early 1900s when the estate, then called Château Pacheteau, produced sherry to export to the East Coast. In 1988 Wallis married Marilyn Belk, and a decade later they replanted 13 acres of vineyards. Within a few years they were selling fruit to Ramey Wine Cellar and Lokoya Winery, but in 2006 they started their own label. Two years later they brought in Thomas Rivers Brown, one of California’s most admired winemakers. Wallis Family Estate makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and red blends. Robert M. Parker has rated the estate’s wines in the mid-90s and complimented them for “finesse and elegance as well as substance and concentration.”

Diamond Mountain District AVA is in the Mayacamas Mountains at the northwestern end of Napa Valley. The appellation is relatively high and the entire district is more than 400 feet above sea level. Some vineyards are as high as 2,200 feet above sea level. Because of their altitude, Diamond Mountain vineyards experience warmer days but colder nights than vineyards on the valley floor. Once volcanic soil, the terrain in the appellation has over time become less fertile, making grape growing particularly challenging. Nevertheless the district has attracted wine producers for more than a century. There are 500 vineyard acres out of a total of 5,000 acres. Among the highly regarded wineries here are Lokoya Winery, Diamond Creek Vineyards and Schramsberg Vineyards. Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are generally firmly structured, rich and quite tannic. Chardonnay is full-bodied with apple and peach aromas and firm acidity.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.