The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill is the darkest and most powerful of the 2003s I tasted here. There's plenty of new oak, too, but the Volcanic Hill has the fruit stuffing and overall density to handle the wood. Still young, the 2003 has plenty of life ahead of it. Dark fruit, gravel, incense, tobacco and game are all pushed forward. -- Antonio Galloni

Of the three outstanding new Cabernets from Diamond Creek this particular bottling is the most backward and slow-to-unfold of the bunch. With dense highly extracted curranty fruit as its major theme it slowly opens to exhibit finely placed oak rich loamy highlights and touches of stony soil in its expansive nose. Its youthful deeply filled convincingly complex flavors follow suit and are underpinned by puckery tannins that need some time to resolve. This is not a wine for drinking anytime soon but it has all the right pieces in all the right places to ensure that an exceptional wine will emerge in time.

From Diamond Creek's warmest vineyard, Volcanic Hill may have been the most challenging site in 2003. The wine is heady with soil-driven spice, both a touch herbal and a touch raisined. Even so, the texture feels cool, with exceptional weight in the mouth. Age it ten years, then enjoy with a festive holiday beef Wellington.