1978 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow 750ml

95 points John Gilman
I had previously tasted the 1978 Red Rock Terrace and the Volcanic Hill, but this was my first bottle (in recent times) of the ’78 Gravelly Meadow from Diamond Creek. This is one of the greatest vintages in the long and storied history of this great estate, but all of the ‘78s here are still on the young side and it really is still a waste of bottles to be opening them today, as they are still climbing in quality and just a few more years patience is going to be rewarded with even more magical wine in the glass. The ’78 Gravelly Meadow delivers a superb bouquet of cassis, dark berries, cigar box, lovely soil tones, incipient notes of chipotles, cigar smoke and a topnote of fresh herbs. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and very complex, with a great core of fruit, superb soil signature, excellent focus and balance and a very long, still fairly tannic and chewy finish. Give this great wine at least until its fortieth birthday to snooze in the cellar, as it is getting very close to full bloom, but it is still not quite over the line! (5/2013)

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The least flamboyant of Diamond Creek's trio of 1978 Cabernets, the Gravelly Meadow exhibits a pronounced earthy, tobacco, cedar, cassis-scented nose, and rich, full-bodied flavors that are nearly as concentrated as those in the Volcanic Hill and Red Rock Terrace. (RP) (4/1992)

91 points Wine Spectator
Characteristically more earthy (or gravelly) than the other Diamond Creek Cabs, still showing plenty of richness and flavor, with earthy currant, mineral, herb, sage and spice notes. (JL) (11/1998)