Dark and luscious, the 2023 Diamond Collection Claret delivers fragrant aromatics, refined length, and firm, well-structured tannins. Its sophisticated character is enhanced by a generous body and an enduring, elegant, finish. A hallmark of this vintage is its exceptional balance between ripe, concentrated dark fruit and the subtle influence of French oak, which adds layers of spice and vanilla. The long, even growing season of 2023 allowed for optimal ripeness, resulting in a wine of remarkable depth, complexity, and age-worth structure.
Picking decisions are based on winemaker evaluation, vineyard condition, and proper flavor ripeness. The grapes are picked in the cool of the morning and slowly warmed to fermentation temperatures. Early extraction with multiple pump-overs promotes great color and deep, smooth tannins. The wine then completes malolactic fermentation before blending. Complimentary oak styles are chosen to enhance the wine’s aroma, flavor, and texture.
Each growing season there seems to always be an underlying theme that is unique and defines the vintage, and 2023 continued to follow this trend. The last few years California has experienced extreme drought conditions which led to earlier harvests with lighter crops. However, this past winter/spring provided us with frequent rainfall. This led to a later budbreak in the spring compared to previous years. While it varied across the state just how much later, we saw ranges from 1-3 weeks behind 2022 throughout much of California.
The late budbreak helped promote even shoot growth and strong vine balance early on as everything came out at once rather than staggered stages of development. In early May, we had a warm week of weather, and it appeared things were going to catch up. However, the warming trend didn’t last, and we did not see our normal bloom timelines at the end of the month. The bloom window ended up being prolonged, as June was a very cool month overall, partnered with a few showers and accompanied by foggy mornings.
By the Fourth of July, the growing season was averaging a month behind historic averages, as Growers and Winemakers alike started to prepare for a later harvest.
Fast forward to September and October, as California witnessed a run of beautiful weather and perfect ripening conditions for Harvest. As the grapes started to come into the winery, all varietals were showing well – with great fruit expression and flavors. This trend continued into early to mid-November, as we picked the last of the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards to finish the marathon of Harvest.
Initial tastings indicate the wines from the 2023 Harvest will be incredible. The extended hang times with the delay to the start of Harvest and consistent mild weather patterns throughout the growing season allowed for a deeper development of flavors, aromas, and structure. When it was all said and done it was a larger crop than expected.
