2014 Montesquieu Winery Diamond Mountain District Meritage

Montesquieu Winery is part of the Montesquieu wine group, a California-based negociant and importer that produces wines under its own label and custom labels. Montesquieu takes its name from the influential French Enlightenment-era statesman and political philosopher Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. Besides being known for his political tracts, he was a life-long wine connoisseur, and is often credited with being the first to identify the Cabernet Sauvignon grape in the early 18th century. Montesquieu the wine group works as a negociant with small producers in the U.S. and around the world, importing artisanal wines from Europe, South America and South Africa, and creating private label wines for small West Coast producers.

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.