THE MICROCLIMATES

Our mountain canyon creates a diverse weather pattern. Cooling afternoon breezes from the ocean on the West mix with the Calistoga valley heat on the East. Diamond Creek meanders through our vineyards and separates them into three distinct soil types; volcanic, gravelly and red rock. In addition, our three varietals, 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, add complexity to Diamond Creek wines. Our 1999 vintages will now include 2% Petit Verdot, and a higher percentage of Petit Verdot in both the Lake and Volcanic Hill microclimate 2 bottlings.

Typically, our harvest takes place over a month's period. Because we want to pick each section of the vineyard at it's optimum ripeness, we have as many as 15 to 20 different pickings. As the wines age in barrels we taste their development. If the barrels from one section are particularly outstanding, we bottle them separately and designate them with a microclimate number denoting the pick.