Wines

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Diamond Mountain Cabernet

So why did we bottle our 2020 vintage when so many other Napa producers did not? We'll start with what our winemaker told us; “The key to success in 2020 was location and timing. For Napa, being up-valley, elevation, and an early harvest created the most success across all the lots we kept. Seaver fit that description perfectly.”

This vintage was special for us because it was the last vintage that Tom worked. Because we knew the grapes had been exposed to very little smoke after the mid-August fire and we were lucky enough to harvest a week before the Glass fire began, we wanted to try to make this wine. We kept coming back to something Tom would often say, "control what you can control, and try not to worry about the rest."

Everything was fermented as it normally would to give the wine its best shot at making it to bottle. We implemented a robust tasting protocol and lots were selected out that we did not feel 100% confident in – even if it was simply a gut feeling. In barrel the wine was showing really well and we simply had to trust that the wine would let us know somewhere along the way if it was compromised. When spring arrived, we had tasted each lot 20+ times and it was clear that what we had was sound. And not just sound, but really good. After one final tasting in late spring, we decided to bottle.

As we have in the past, the 2020 vintage was split into two bottlings; the 2020 GTS Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2020 NLS Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2020 GTS, comprised mainly of Clones 191 and 6, is more richly black-fruited with nuanced aromatics and a wonderfully balanced tannin structure. The 2020 NLS, comprised of Clone 337, has - as expected - a more red-fruited profile that mingles with complex palate notes to create incredible depth. Both have that mile-long finish Thomas Brown is known for and exhibit a brightness that you sometimes don’t see from warmer vintages like 2020 was. Put simply these are beautiful, balanced wines.

The 2020 GTS showcases sweeping aromatics and a lovely fruit nuance complimented by a balanced structure. Seductive aromas of cassis, purple lilac, nutmeg and incense swell from the glass in waves and the wine displays a nearly opaque royal purple hue. The palate is marked by a round mouthfeel with notes of macerated boysenberry, pine bough, cocoa, and quince intricately woven together and framed by a medium tannin architecture. The subtle floral finish extends, true to form, for close to a minute. Drinking window from 2025 to 2040.

The queen reigns supreme in this vintage. The 2020 NLS offers mouth-coating juiciness and finely grained tannin structure with a lovely bouquet of aromas to match. Vivid aromatic notes include licorice, clove and spearmint which are complimented by more complex palate notes of blackberry reduction, leather, and cedar bark. The result is incredible depth and impact right away which carries through on the long, light finish. This wine captures the elegant and supple side of Diamond Mountain and can be enjoyed as soon as you like.

Thomas Rivers Brown

To be honest, the 2019 vintage took us by surprise. The growing season began with plentiful rains that continued well into the spring and the resulting fruit set and lush canopy prepared us well for the hot summer months. But it was evident early on that the berries would be smaller in size than in 2018. We weren’t particularly bothered by that because sometimes big things come in small packages but we did not anticipate that the vintage would rival the 2018 in greatness. When we tasted through the 2019 Cabernet clones at our annual blending meeting we got our first inking that the vintage was going to be stellar. Sampled from the barrel and despite its youth, you could already taste how elegant and balanced this wine is. It reminded us of the 2016 but a bit more ethereal in tone. But it was was when we tasted it in bottle a few months later that we understood just how great it is.

The 2019 is possibly the most complete wine we’ve made yet. It has everything; layers of savory notes, floral aromatics, and rich black and red fruit. Also, unlike the intensity and tannic structure that were the hallmarks of the 2018, the 2019’s tannins are tamer and the wine is instead balanced by its acidity. It is also ever so subtly lighter in texture for a GTS without losing an ounce of its inky color, luxurious mouthfeel, or mile-long finish Thomas Brown is known for. It’s perhaps the most mature and sophisticated GTS we’ve produced which is obvious to say considering the age of our vines, but took us by surprise right on the heels of the seemingly singular 2018.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous summed it up best when he rated our 2019 GTS Cabernet Sauvignon at 96 points. “The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is superb. In fact, the 2019 might be the best GTS I have ever tasted.” And this is where wine is like art. Greatness is truly in the eye (or in this case, the palate) of the beholder and, as such, one could say it’s almost futile to compare vintages. But we can say for certain that we very much look forward to tasting these two epic vintages side by side in the years to come.

All of us at Seaver Vineyards

2019 shared many similarities to 2018, which is fortunate to have two stellar growing seasons back-to-back. One major differences though was a smaller crop load at the estate mainly due to overall smaller berries. The result in the finished wine is a dark, complex and layered wine that has so much to offer now, and decades to age, unpack and develop. This wine displays a completely opaque dark purple hue in the glass with a violet halo. Notes of black cherry, wild raspberry, and cedar bough emerge in waves. The densely layered palate expresses notes of black currant, kirsch, black licorice, and smoked meat. Finely integrated tannins and a bright acidity throughout the long floral finish make this a complete, classic Diamond Mountain wine that hits all the right notes at the right time.

Thomas Rivers Brown

We’ve definitely written about this before but every year we are afforded a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the days from the vintage we are releasing which is always three years in the past. This year it was an especially poignant endeavor for us and one we savored while looking through pictures, rereading past communications and vintage notes, and – of course – tasting the 2018 GTS and NLS. We relished the opportunity to, for a time, be immersed in the remembrances of those seemingly simpler days.

2018 marked the year that our Clone 6 really came into its own both in terms of the size of the crop as well as the quality of the fruit. As such it’s given us not only a boost in production (the 2018 vintage is our largest production yet) but also added a wonderful nuance to the clonal blend of our Cabernet. What’s more, the 2018 growing season was overall an outstanding year. Much like 2016, there was little, if any, drama. The temperatures were consistent for the most part and the end of summer brought warm days and cool nights. We always hope for this combination at the end of the season because it allows the fruit to ripen at an even pace and also provides a longer hang-time for the berries – giving our winemaker the luxury of choosing the most optimal harvest date instead of racing against the weather clock.

At our 2018 vintage blending meeting last winter we could really taste this effect – how well the fruit had developed and the marked distinctions in each clone. Each was so expressive and vibrant that it was clear that we needed to offer two bottlings of this vintage instead of blending everything into just the GTS. Both the 2018 GTS and NLS have a bit more structure to them than the 2016s but are so well balanced that they can be enjoyed now with a bit of time in the decanter but will also age beautifully for years to come.

One last thing we wanted to share is the unfortunate news that our vineyard was in the path of the Glass Fire this past September. While we are beyond fortunate that we did not lose any structures, we did lose a small section of vines in the eastern portion of our vineyard. We have already begun efforts to replant and will keep you posted on the vineyard’s progress as we know more.

All of us at Seaver Vineyards

Picking up the glass of 2018 GTS Cabernet Sauvignon and drawing it close, vast aromas of blackberry, oolong tea and pine bough pop out and capture your attention. The palate is densely layered with a symphony of juicy black fruit and exotic spice notes framed by a refined silky tannin profile, a touch of minerality, and a pleasing acidity. The balance in this vintage is remarkable with nothing poking out or out of sync. This is an unforgettable Cabernet Sauvignon which, like its NLS counterpart, will only get better over time.

This 2018 NLS Cabernet Sauvignon offers a vivid profile of lush, dark red fruit and a refined mouth-watering structure. The wine exhibits a nearly opaque purple red hue in the glass with a dark ruby halo. Aromas of plum, baking spices, cardamom, clove, and cassis swell from the glass in concert. The sleek mouthfeel is marked by harmonious notes of macerated raspberry, cedar, graphite, river rock, wild iris and pomegranate liqueur. This is an overwhelmingly enjoyable wine right out of the gate. The vintage afforded us that in spades, and with a few years in the cellar it will develop gracefully and offer up a new level of intrigue and pleasure.

Thomas Rivers Brown

Sometimes in the course of talking about the events or distinctions of each growing season, we end up personifying them. One is easy, agreeable, fun to be around and everything seems to go their way; another is initially aloof and cold but eventually warms up with time; and another brings some drama with them wherever they go. If the 2016 vintage was the belle of the ball, the 2017 vintage was her temperamental younger sister who needed some effort and coaxing to step out onto the dance floor and shine.

The 2017 vintage began with generous winter rains which led to a long and temperate spring. We were off to the races in the early spring months with a lovely bud break and even fruit set. As the season progressed to summer, the days became longer and warmer as they do but it was apparent early on that this was going to be a hot one. One that was going to require a bit more adjusting and strategy than usual in terms of how we handled the grapes throughout the season to insure the fruit developed consistently. To the outsider, it can seem a daunting task but to us this is farming at its best. And what’s more, we had a front row seat to the vast experience and wisdom of our vineyard management team, Barbour Vineyards. They shepherded the grapes through all the variations of the season right through to harvest and made it look easy. We picked on September 20th and 23rd and the wine began its long, quiet maturation at Outpost Winery. The resulting 2017 GTS Cabernet Sauvignon is a big, lush wine and much like our 2013 vintage, would do well with some rest to allow the tannins to integrate. This will give you plenty of time then to open and enjoy some of the older vintages of GTS you have been patiently resting in your cellar!

To say we were fortunate to have picked all our fruit two weeks before the fires started in October of 2017, or fortunate that our wines are made on the very top of Howell Mountain which was out of the path of the fires and at an elevation that saw very little – if any – smoke, or fortunate that our little Calistoga vineyard was spared from the path of the Tubbs fire is an understatement. We are more grateful and humbled than we can adequately express and we endeavor to remember to give thanks again every time we raise a glass of our 2017 GTS.

Thank you for your continued support and we hope you enjoy the 2017 vintage as much as we enjoyed the hard work to bring it to you.

Tom & Nancy Seaver

While 2017 will, unfortunately, predominantly be remembered for the October wildfires that ravaged Napa Valley and our neighbors in Sonoma County, all the fruit off the Seaver Vineyards Estate was harvested two weeks prior to the start of the fires. As such, there are zero smoke taint issues with this wine. Every step along the way the wines were handled with the typical precision, care and the best practices towards creating an exemplary Cabernet Sauvignon from the Estate.

This wine displays a dark purple-red hue in the glass with a violet halo on the edge. If the aromas could have a texture, here one might suggest that there are velvety layers of cedar dust, plum, citrus pith, boysenberry compote, brass, and cigar wrapper. The mouth-feel has a structured appeal that shows the true mountain fruit profile. Notes of black cherry, white pepper, macerated blackberry, cocoa powder, and white flowers are mouth-coating and lead to a drawn out finish framed beautifully by a refreshing acidity.

The 2017 GTS shows a harmonious balance of fruit, structure, and tannin profile. While drinking well today with some generous time in a decanter, it will also age well in the cellar for 8- 12 years.

Thomas Rivers Brown

“2016 is second only to 2013 among the top vintages of the decade so far.” – Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018.

At first, this statement was a bit hard to believe considering each of the past four vintages have all been remarkable in their own right. But after spending some time with our 2016s, we agree wholeheartedly that the vintage is truly outstanding. It’s one of those vintages where everything seemed to go just right. For starters, 2016 began with winter rains which finally broke the five year drought in California. What followed was a growing season which, although it had its share of variability, progressed at as even of a tempo as we could have hoped for. The season ended with a slightly cooler August and therefore, more time for the fruit to languish on the vine and finish developing. As a result, our winemaker and vineyard manager had the luxury of choosing the most optimal picking window; a choice we were not afforded in 2015 and one that was most welcome. The results were gorgeous berry clusters and some of our most balanced and site specific fruit to date.

As is characteristic of this vintage, the fruit was incredibly expressive of its appellation but we also found that it was quite expressive of its specific location in the vineyard as well. The clones in each block of the vineyard sung their own unique tune and beautifully so. As a result, Thomas opted to showcase the strengths of the clones in the two main vineyard blocks by separating them into their own bottlings; the GTS and the NLS. Our hope is that as you enjoy these wines you truly experience the magic of our little jewel of a vineyard.

We thank you for your continued support and we look forward to sharing our 2016 vintage wines with you!

Tom & Nancy Seaver

2016 marked yet another outstanding vintage on Diamond Mountain. A warm spring jump started the season with a slightly hotter than normal June. July looked to follow suit until temperatures peaked mid month, cooling off into August. The fruit at Seaver Vineyards was ready to be picked on September 22 and we harvested that night at peak physiological maturity. This gave us everything we needed to make another one of kind wine from this outstanding vineyard property.

In the glass, the 2016 GTS displays a nearly opaque purple-red hue. Aromatic notes suggest cassis, rhubarb, lilac, fresh loam and sanguine. The palate expresses densely layered notes that include boysenberry jam, toasted cedar, distressed leather, and baking spice. Throughout the mid-palate, there is a distinct minerality which provides a substantial framework. Being a complex mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine will benefit from significant time in a decanter or 3-5 years in the cellar.

The 2016 NLS has an effortless grace to it: round, supple, sleek, and giving without being overbearing. Upon first inspection, aromas of macerated raspberry, plum skin, nutmeg and violet petal emanate from the glass. The palate is layered with dark red fruit notes instilling a juicy core, and a pleasant spice complement to keep things interesting. There are hints on the outside of the palate that are bright, electric and give the palate experience plenty of mouth-watering lift and vibrancy. A finely integrated tannin frame provides structure where you want it most, keeping everything in order. This is a perfect wine to enjoy now while giving the GTS a few years in the cellar.

Thomas Rivers Brown

The ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is credited with the famous quote, “The only thing that is constant is change.” Working in agriculture, one gets very comfortable with this concept and with the knowledge that change will show itself dramatically with some vintages more so than others. We’ve not seen a vintage like 2015, in terms of yield, since 2010 – although the characteristics of the 2010 and 2015 vintage growing seasons were quite different from each other.

The 2015 season was unusual in that the spring was particularly cool which produced a slightly uneven fruit set. The spring was followed by a typical summer but then came the string of very hot, late summer days. The elevated temperatures so late in the season meant we needed to be vigilant not only about the amount of water needed for the grapes (so they didn’t dehydrate in the heat) but also about watching the brix level carefully. We wanted to be sure the grapes were fully developing but, at the same time, not staying on the vine too long and overripening. It’s at times like these that we are profoundly grateful to have experts at the helm in our vineyard manager Jim Barbour and our winemaker Thomas Brown. The reward for our complicated dance with Mother Nature is the excellent quality of the 2015 fruit. The result is a 2015 GTS that is full, rich, and elegant with a finish that stretches on for miles.

We thank you for your continued support and we look forward to sharing the 2015 with you!

Tom & Nancy Seaver

This wine shows immediate hedonistic notes that are rich, complex, layered, and dynamic. Nearly opaque and dark purple in the glass, as you move in for a closer inspection, aromas of cured cedar bark, leather, cassis, nutmeg, and blackberry reduction emerge from the glass. The palate experience is velvety and lush, suggesting notes of cinnamon-dusted crushed blueberries, cocoa nib, lavender oil, crushed rock, pine bough, as well as lighter notes of graphite and black cherry. That contrast of light and dark gives this wine an abstract quality that resonates far longer than the extended finish. Over time this wine will age gracefully and develop into an even more refined expression as some of the youthful Diamond Mountain tannin mellows.

Thomas Rivers Brown

Looking back at 2014, it was another drought year in California, which isn’t always a bad thing when your winemaker prefers the vines to stress a bit in the name of quality. Despite the drought, 2014 was a very consistent growing season that produced a record yield for Seaver Vineyards. What’s more, the quality of the 2014 GTS rivals that of the much lauded 2013. The wine is lush with a long finish and we found it to be a bit more approachable a little earlier than the 2013. The 2014 vintage was rated 94+ points by Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate, #228. In his review Mr. Parker is quoted “…the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon GTS is a gorgeous example of Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.” The recommended drinking window is now, 2016, to 2032.

Looking ahead we thought it important to mention to you now that 2015 was a very different year than 2013 or 2014 in terms of yield. Because 2015 was a challenging growing season, yields were down dramatically all across the valley including at Seaver Vineyards. While we prefer our production to remain constant from year to year (like it was in 2012, 2013, and 2014) mother nature sometimes has a different plan. On the plus side, the 2015 is coming along nicely in barrel and we are excited to see how it matures.

We thank you for your continued support and we look forward to sharing the 2014 with you; the 10^th release in our history!

Cheers,

Tom & Nancy Seaver

The 2014 GTS Cabernet Sauvignon is a striking example of what this vineyard can produce. The color displays an opaque garnet core with a ruby rim. Rich aromas of clove, fresh leather, mint, and cassis swell from the glass. The palate consists of a balanced and harmonious fruit and mineral core. Notes of cedar bark, plum, bramble, flint, cocoa nib and nutmeg are tightly interwoven. Representative of the vintage, the tannin structure of this wine is very well integrated, providing a very sleek trajectory and mouth feel. With a little time in a decanter this wine should be very enjoyable today but certainly will age gracefully for a few decades. 

Thomas Rivers Brown

Writing this newsletter each year is a reflection on time. As Nancy mentioned in the 2005 vintage newsletter, we always feel like we have one foot in the future and one in the past. So as we sit down to write this newsletter on a very rainy January morning in 2016 we transport ourselves back to 2013. We remember that much like 2012, 2013 was a great growing season. However, there were some differences such as more pronounced warm, drought conditions which led to one of the earliest harvests we’ve experienced to date. But those same conditions produced small berries with incredible levels of concentration. As our winemaker, Thomas Brown said of the 2013 vintage “a near perfect season has produced the best set of Cabernets we have ever produced for Rivers-Marie (Thomas’s own label) and all of our clients”. The 2013 is very representative of our Diamond Mountain vineyard; it is intense and nuanced with a long and luxurious finish.

And as we begin the New Year, we are honored to have recently received a 95 point rating for the 2013 GTS from Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate (WA, #222). “A beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon from the great New York Mets Hall of Fame pitcher, Tom Seaver. He was smart to use Jim Barbour as a vineyard manager and Thomas Rivers Brown as a winemaker. Coming from a parcel on Diamond Mountain, the wine is dense purple, shows beautiful crème de cassis fruit, blackberries, a touch of earth, full-bodied richness, beautiful and sweet integrated tannins, as well as oak. This is a beauty and comes in at about 14.5% natural alcohol. Kudos. Here’s a celebrity wine that definitely matches the brilliance of the celebrity himself. Drink it over the next 20 years.”

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, we are so grateful for our winemaker and vineyard manager and could not be prouder of the fruits of all of our labors.

Thank you for your support and enjoy!

Tom & Nancy Seaver

The completely opaque deep purple hue of the wine carries all the way towards the slim garnet edge. Rich, dark aromatic notes of iron, anise, tobacco and loam hover in the glass. By contrast, the palate experience is decidedly fresh and bright. Notes of brambly compote, cedar, tack room, dark chocolate and flint interact seamlessly front to back. The finely integrated tannins frame the wine with a delicate structured finesse. On the back end, the prolonged finish lasts almost a full minute, enough time to really appreciate the balance of dark intensity and bright vibrancy this wine possesses, highlighting both sides of what this unique growing environment can produce in an outstanding vintage like 2013.

Thomas Rivers Brown

The 2012 growing season was a joy to behold with great weather, ideal temperatures, and no drama! The result was beautifully ripened fruit and a robust harvest. James Laube of the Wine Spectator says that the 2012 “…is a game changer in California, especially for its star wine Cabernet Sauvignon.” We couldn’t agree more.

Antonio Galloni recently rated our 2012 at 94 points saying “The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon GTS bristles with energy and tension, both unusual qualities for the year. Rose petals, bright red plums, spices and mint are some of the many notes that jump from the glass. The 2012 impresses for its balance and harmony. This is easily one of the best Cabernets I have tasted from Tom Seaver and his winemaker, Thomas Rivers Brown.”

We continue to be extremely grateful to our winemaker, Thomas Brown, and our vineyard manager, Jim Barbour. Our 2012 sings not only because we were blessed with a great growing season but also because of this extraordinarily talented team who know how to bring forth the highest quality from our little gem of a vineyard. Tom and I also want to thank the beauty and brains of Seaver Vineyards. Our niece, Karen, and our daughter, Anne, have been strong arms in our business process and education with adaptable, versatile and capable qualities. They complete the “Seaver” in Seaver Vineyards. Thank you KAOS & AES! You make us proud.

Tom and Nancy Seaver

The 2012 GTS continues our string of great wines in even numbered vintages. After tasting through a complete vertical of GTS, this wine appears to be the all star in the lineup. 2008 and 2010 showed spectacularly as well but the ’12 had a completeness to it that elevated it slightly above the other two. I’d guess the two contributing factors to this are a more complete, healthy growing season and the maturation of a small block of clone 6 on the estate. Growing conditions in 2012 were about as ideal as anyone could imagine, warm but not hot afternoons and cool evenings that helped preserve acidity. The long season helped fully ripen tannin without producing high sugars. The one knock on the season was slightly bigger than average berry size but being in the mountains, we didn’t see it. To further aid concentration, we saw our first mature crop of clone 6, a selection known for its small berries, high degree of fruit concentration and savory, varietal character. After 10 months in barrel, we realized the 2012 GTS would be the best edition we’d ever produced. We combined all four clones at that time (6, 7, 337 a 191), producing a wine with a level of completeness at release that we have never seen before.

Thomas Rivers Brown

The 2011 Napa Valley growing season was the one of the coldest in memory with January through June temperatures ranking well below average. During bloom time, unusually late rains resulted in the threat of shatter which occurs when a grape cluster fails to develop completely during infancy. Our hillside location spared us from any notable loss so that our yield and fruit sizes were only slightly compromised. We feel fortunate as our mountain fruit experienced much less damage than vineyards on the valley floor.

We at Seaver Vineyards are very grateful for our special location here on Diamond Mountain, but the challenging 2011 season also revealed the importance of our all- star vineyard management team, Barbour Vineyards. As the weather continued to test us with a variety of “pitches”, every pitch was anticipated by the experience and guidance of Barbour Vineyards. To quote Jim Barbour, “These late season passes… allowed us to take advantage of what proved to be a long, cool finish to the season. Although yields were not as high as we would like, there was some very good fruit produced.”

We are pleased to announce that Nancy’s Fancy is back with our 2011 vintage. We are also pleased to announce that the wine has been re-labled “NLS”, which stands for Nancy Lynn Seaver, who has been standing shoulder to shoulder with GTS for 47 years! We felt the NLS needed a more appropriate name for such a rare, attractive wine. We always respect the nuances of what our vineyard produces as our vines mature and we continue to strive for the perfect blending of our Cabernet Sauvignon clones and for the streamlining of our brand and labels.

The 2011 GTS and NLS are our most accessible wines to date. These will be the wines that you drink while you wait for the more moody, powerful 2009 GTS to mature and while anticipating the exciting 2012 and 2013 vintages to be released in the coming years.

And finally, the most exciting news of our 2013 season was Tom’s appearance on the cover of the Wine Spectator’s Cabernet edition in November. We are so proud of the piece and proud to be included in such a prestigious publication. Here is a link to the article if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet {link} or you can visit the News page on our website and find it there. It was a wonderful way to end our 2013 season and reminded us that the spirit that drives Seaver Vineyards has never been stronger and more evident, both on the field and in the front office. While Tom lovingly grooms every tendril and walks every row, all of us at Seaver Vineyards will continue to strive to be the very best so that you, our clients, may enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Cheers!

Tom and Nancy Seaver

On the whole, 2011 was the toughest, most challenging vintage in recent memory. Early rain, late rain and a wide spread botrytis outbreak wreaked havoc with many sites. Everyone, regardless of location, required expert farming and precise attention to detail. Without it, the vintage could have been a total loss. As it so often happens, location was paramount. Fortunate sites in 2011 were either upvalley or high atop the hills with great exposure, like Seaver. Being near the top of Diamond Mountain, we avoided the valley floor fogs that plagued early October. The shallow soils kept everything dry and intact until we were able to harvest perfectly ripe fruit that required minimal sorting.

The 2011 GTS Estate is slightly brooding as one would expect from a young mountain wine. The fine tannins grab just slightly upon entry leading to blue and black fruits with remarkable depth and purity. The mouthfeel and texture, which are hallmarks of the Estate, are front and center once again. The fruit remains highlighted as the acidity keeps the wine fresh and long through the finish. Decant if drinking near-term.

The NLS, formerly known as Nancy’s Fancy, is the more approachable of the offerings, given in large part to the healthy dose of Clone 7 this wine receives. Dusty and red fruited, structured by lithe natural acidity, one is struck by the completeness of the wine at this early stage. Drink now – 2024.

Thomas Rivers Brown

The 2010 growing year was a great reminder that growing grapes is a labor of love and that you have no choice but to work with the conditions that mother nature gives you each season. It reminds us that the vineyard is a living, breathing thing that ultimately communicates the year it’s had through the vintage.

Our vineyard manager, Jim Barbour, said that 2010 was the coldest growing year and easily the most challenging vintage he’s experienced in his 32 years of vineyard management. This cold led to a variety of conditions during the growing season that meant we would need to make the hard decision to drop half of our fruit. Although doing so was nerve wracking at the time, we feel blessed to be able to say that we made up for it in the quality of the fruit. Like the 2008 vintage, all of the grapes possessed the characteristics we were looking for to come together in one bottling, the 2010 GTS. So although our production is down 50%, this is our best vintage yet and we are grateful for our team of all stars who coaxed such quality out of our little jewel of a vineyard.

Tom and Nancy Seaver

If 2008 was our most fully realized stand alone wine to date, the 2010 is our #1. Though the two growing seasons were diametrically opposed in nature, both results show a completeness that we haven’t achieved in other vintages. In 2008 heat got us there, for 2010 it was hangtime. The only downside was yield which was the smallest we’d ever seen coming in just over 1 ton per acre. The quality was so strong though we knew early on that every stitch would make it into the GTS bottling. The nose focuses on more savory elements of sandalwood, camphor, licorice and leather. The palate is pure black fruit, focused and kept fresh by all the acidity of the vintage. Tannin is what always separates out Diamond Mountain wines. When vintages achieve full tannin maturity, there’s no more intriguing AVA in Napa.

Thomas Rivers Brown

We are proud to introduce our 2009 GTS (still showing off!) and to announce that with the 2009 vintage the Nancy’s Fancy is back! As we mentioned last year, we can’t say for certain going forward what years we will produce Nancy’s Fancy. We do know that each year is up to what the vines dictate and our winemaker decides. We are particularly excited about the 2009 Nancy’s Fancy and agree with Thomas’s tasting notes that the Nancy’s Fancy has grown up so much since the 2005 vintage.

2011 was an exciting year for Seaver Vineyards. We have continued the work we started last year, focusing on streamlining and simplifying how we do business, but this year we turned our sites towards branding and how we are recognized to keep in step with the quality of our product. After much thought and discussion, we decided the name Seaver Vineyards reflects more accurately who we are as a company and as a brand. We invited designer, Casey Dillon, to lead our team and Casey has done an excellent job of polishing our appearance while respecting our history.

But it’s the biggest news of this past year that has Tom walking on air. In October we received our very first rating when the 2008 GTS was reviewed and received 97 points from the Wine Spectator. The subsequent interest in the vineyard was amazing and we sold out of the 2008 vintage in a matter of weeks. Then in December, the 2009 GTS (part of the allocation we are offering you in this current release) received 92 points from The Wine Advocate! Both reviews are available for you to read on the News page of our website. It was such exciting news and reminds us, yet again, how fortunate we are to have Thomas Brown as our Winemaker and Tom Seaver walking the rows of the vineyard. We hope you enjoy the 2009 as much as we do!

Tom & Nancy Seaver

It’s funny looking back at the vintage for these two wines. The Seaver property experienced none of the trauma of the hard October 12th rain that plagued Napa Valley. We were wrapped for the year by October 7th before the threat of rain was even a known thing. I can’t say we dealt with another property with the same fortunate circumstance. The late May rain that provided much needed drought relief to many sites in the valley simply sheeted off this steep Diamond Mountain vineyard and ripeness proceeded quickly. We thinned all three clones (7, 337 and 191) at least four times due mainly to some intense summer heat but we also had the luxury of an above average size crop. We feel like we’ve hit a great spot in the maturity of the vineyard and the 2009 GTS shows it off nicely. Blending all the 191 with small bits of 337 and 7, the wine shows ample blue and black fruits balanced for the first time by a minerality that shoots through the whole wine from entry to finish. There’s also an interesting floral component that adds nuance and a bit of give to the hillside structure. Its Diamond Mountain origin is best revealed in its texture, a dense, chewy sensation that almost seems to be more about feel than taste. The 2009 Nancy’s Fancy contains the clone 7 from both exposures on the property and a bit of 337. It has grown up even more than the GTS since the inaugural 2005 bottling. The pure red fruitedness has been replaced by a more complex red and black fruited profile. There’s also a bit more seriousness to the wine with elevated overall structure especially in the mid-palate where it balances the dense fruit component well.

Thomas Rivers Brown

A page has been turned with the 2008 release and we are walking on clouds with excitement. With the 2008 harvest we discovered that all the Cabernet Sauvignon clones in the vineyard had excelled under the perfect conditions of time, location, and weather during the 2008 growing season. They reached maturity under Barbour Vineyards’ constant care, and Tom’s constant fussing, and all possess the characteristics we were looking for to finally come together under one label, the 2008 GTS. This means that for the first time in our history we will not offer the GTS Nancy’s Fancy. We can’t say for certain if this will be the case with future vintages as we’ll wait to see what the vines dictate and our winemaker decides. We are grateful for the skill and wisdom of our talented Winemaker, Thomas Brown, and our Vineyard Manager, Jim Barbour, for coaxing such quality from our small jewel of a vineyard and bringing the 2008 vintage to it’s full potential.

Tom & Nancy Seaver

2008 is the best year we have ever seen for Diamond Mountain. The naturally small crop coupled with an early start to the vintage produced wines with completely ripe, resolved tannins for the first time in recent memory. The vintage in general definitely favors the hills where the heat both helped to get things ripe earlier but also tempered the really hot days with elevation. As we sat down to blend the 2008 GTS, we were struck by how consistently good all three Cab lots were. In the end, putting everything together made the best wine so for the first time ever we will only offer one bottling. Extraction is never an issue with Diamond Mountain wines and this is no exception. Black to the rim, the color hints at the concentration. More effusive than any previous vintage, the nose opens with notes of purple and blue fruit, pain grille, bittersweet chocolate and espresso roast. Sweet tannin helps to frame the blackberry, cherry, and kirsch fruit components on the palate with some lively acidity coming up in the end to lengthen the finish. This is one to drink now or hold (a nice option for a Diamond Mountain wine) and a quality that speaks to the greatness of the vintage.

Thomas Rivers Brown

2009 has been a year of change and beauty here on Diamond Mountain. We hired a new business manager, prepared for the release of our third vintage, and added another beautiful Labrador retriever, Brix (the measurement of sugar content in grapes). As we embark on a new year, I’ve found myself thinking often about my big brother, Charles.

He is the one person I wish could see this special place more than anyone. Charles was an artist, loyal not only to art but to the process of making art. He would have understood the journey that Nancy and I started in 2000 and he would have savored its wonder, texture, solitude, and flavor with us. He would have grasped the beauty of the unknown, the meditative quality of the physical work that engages us, the excitement of the harvest, and the blessing that is our vineyard on Diamond Mountain. Charles is always with me in the grapes, the vines, the Douglas firs, redwoods, wind and rain, and the geese that return every spring, flying low over the vineyard to alight on our neighbor’s pond.

Although I never forget Charles, perhaps these reflections are a result of spending time with Charles’s son, Arlo, and his wife Karen, whom many of you already know as our new business manager. Karen has been able to free up time for both Nancy and me to do many other things, not the least of which is spending more precious and rewarding time in the vineyard. We are excited to offer our 2007 vintage, a product of our pride and hard work, and we hope you enjoy the wine as much as we enjoy the day-to-day effort to bring it to you.

Tom and Nancy Seaver

We like to give all new projects three vintages before making any real decisions about potential quality. The 2007s mark that third crop and we feel like we are creeping closer to a complete understanding of the various blocks in the vineyard. It’s always hard to say why certain clones of Cabernet outperform others on a site specific basis but we can now say with some confidence the 191 and 337 blocks are the cream of the crop at Seaver Family Vineyards. These two blocks in their entirety make up the 2007 GTS. This is the most black fruited of the GTS wines to date with a purer fruit core and less soil driven elements than in years past. We’ve seen this from a lot of young vineyards as they move toward maturity. As the vines achieve more balance it becomes easier to tease more fruit out of each vintage. There are still some varietally true notes of creosote, graphite, and tobacco leaf on the palate but they linger in the background to balance the fruit. A hallmark of most great vintages, this wine will drink well now, at middle age and into its twilight. The 2007 Nancy’s Fancy is 100% clone 7 from both primary exposures in the vineyard. It’s once again a more high-toned wine tending toward the more red-fruited side of the spectrum. This wine might be considered a more classic example of Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon given its site-dominated character. Even so, it’s a bit more giving than the GTS featuring notes of spearmint, white flowers, wet stones, and cassis.

Thomas Rivers Brown

Spring training in the Napa Valley is signaled with the golden glow of mustard blooming between the rows of black, rain-soaked, dormant vines, and the promise of longer days to be in the vineyard with my four-legged helpers, Brandy and Major. I feel fortunate to be able to fill my days with the process of participating in a product that takes on a life of its own. Nancy said it feels like having one foot in the past and one foot in the future as we are releasing our 2006 vintage, but working on the daily schedule of our 2009 harvest. However, for me, it is being very much in the present, working the vineyard each and every day.

The evolution of our young vineyard continues with the expansion of the existing vineyard. Late summer, Jim Barbour and crew, cleared about two-thirds of an acre towards the sunny west corner that is now home to another Cabernet clone, Clone 6, recommended by our winemaker, Thomas Brown, which will result in a higher production in a couple of years and add complexity to the wine.

How quickly the ”rookie“ year has come and gone. Nancy and I thank all of you for the generous feedback and enthusiastic support of our new adventure. As a result, we have essentially sold out of the 500 cases of the 2005 release, with only 15 cases remaining as we go to print of the GTS Nancy’s Fancy, which Nancy is trying not to take personally.

Tom and Nancy Seaver

With 2006 we began looking at the project in a new light. Now that we have established the tradition of two bottlings a year, we set about harvesting the vineyard with different goals in mind. Ultimately, we’d like to bring every piece up to the qualitative standard of the GTS bottling but we realize that won’t be possible every vintage. So with 2006 we fractured the estate into six different picks trying to further isolate the best possible pieces all the way down to the individual plant. The strongest sections (and this applies to 2007 and 2008 as well) look to be the 191 on the big hill and the 337 on the little hill. With little adjustments we were able to isolate the best sections of these blocks to create the 2006 GTS. The wine begins with notes of menthol, sweet tobacco, blackberries and bramble. The classic Diamond Mountain structure adds dustiness to the tannin and more soil driven mountain elements such as grilled bread, creosote, and wet earth. The Nancy’s Fancy, like the 2005, is more red fruit driven and an expression of more classically styled Napa Cabernet. The nose practically screams Cabernet. Its accessibility is immediately apparent with its juicy fruit driven core and slightly minty overtones. This bottling won’t need the time the GTS will to swallow its tannin and become a more seamless wine. The Nancy’s Fancy is already there and will provide something to start with as the GTS ages gracefully for a couple of years in the cellar.

Thomas Rivers Brown

A Warm Hello From Napa Valley,

Where does one begin? Probably the year 2002 when I went back to Rookie League – a new uniform, new hat, new boots and a new dream. 

It seems like only yesterday I was bush whacking my way around this little piece of heaven here on Diamond Mountain and stumbled onto an area that tuned out to be three acres south and east facing slope and saying, ”Gee, this might work“. Finding the site was a result of my wife Nancy not wanting trucks and traffic to access a potential area east of our house, but that is a story for another time.

Let the journey begin, the learning curve started literally at ground zero, adding to my vocabulary words like rootstock, clones, spur position, shatter, Pierce’s disease, wings, and verasion.

Luckily finding the perfect vineyard site was step one. Step two was putting together a team. (Sound familiar?) My lead dog has been the highly regarded vineyard manager here in Napa Valley, Jim Barbour. Jim and his lieutenants have patiently answered every entry level question I have asked, and continue to tutor me in the care and maintenance of a vineyard. And it was Jim who introduced me to the very talented winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, who had been my professor on the winemaking side of the venture.

The third cornerstone of the GTS team is Frank Dotzler, who along with his wife Kathy, own and operate Outpost Winery in the Howell Mountain district. Outpost also serves as the home base for Thomas. Right after harvest, our grapes are delivered across the valley to Outpost to go through the winemaking process, aging in French oak barrels until bottling.

This undertaking is not like going to the World Series for the first time, but it’s not far behind. Please enjoy our efforts and thanks for your patience and support.

Tom and Nancy Seaver

With 2005 being the inaugural vintage for GTS Vineyards, we weren’t exactly sure how this was going to work. The vineyard consists of two exposures planted to two clones of Cabernet on each hill. The big hill consists of clones 191 and 7 while the little hill contains 337 and 7. The two exposures ripened about 10 days apart. When the wines first went to barrel, it became obvious we had two very different wines on our hands. Blending in January of 2007 only confirmed this. The big hill wine, later to be called GTS, had a much blacker hue and more completeness to the palate. Now in the bottle, the GTS Vineyards wine is a much deeper, more brooding wine then the GTS Nancy’s Fancy. The fruit profile begins with black and purple fruits of dark cherry, plum, pomegranate, and cassis. The wine’s structure reflects its Diamond Mountain origins with additional notes of smoke and graphite helping to prolong the finish. The GTS Nancy’s Fancy, from clones 337 and 7, runs toward the redder side of the Cabernet spectrum. The clone 337 contributes a brighter cherry, stone fruit character that runs throughout the wine. The wine overall lacks the depth and complexity of the GTS bottling but more than makes up for it with its drinkability and fruit forward character. We weren’t necessarily setting out to bottle two different wines but we believe two wines to be the best expression of the vineyard for this particular vintage.

Thomas Rivers Brown