2022 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain

JD98 The 2022 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District is a tour de force, offering a Latour-like nose of pure cassis, lead pencil shavings, graphite, crushed stone, and new leather. Full-bodied, powerful, and incredibly rich on the palate, this doesn’t get much better in the vintage. The tannins are beautifully integrated, and the overall balance and purity are simply awesome. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon spent 22 months in 85% new French oak, and while it’s certainly approachable with a decant, it will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 25+ years.

WA97 Lokoya’s 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain combines fruit from two sites: Rhyolite Ridge, a south-facing site at 800 feet above sea level with powdery volcanic soils, and Wallis Vineyard, about 300 feet higher, characterized by more sedimentary rock. Scents of crushed stone and pencil shavings accent notes of sage, bay, cassis and blueberry on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is creamy and lush, framed by fine-grained tannins and revealing great intensity and length on the finish.

JS97 So massive and concentrated, pure and saturated, structured and long. A showcase of the Spring Mountain AVA’s firmness, richness and depth. Brilliant blackcurrants, black cherries, spearmint and hints of red fruit, minerals and wild sage. Tightly interlaced tannins give great support to the lush black fruit. Drinkable now, but best from 2030.

DEC97 In the 2022 vintage, the Lokoya Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon may be one of the most immediately approachable wines in the portfolio. Its up-valley location brings warmth, which softens the tannins and makes this wine especially enjoyable right now. For collectors, 2022 is a gift from the heavens—a vintage with upfront appeal and generosity, without sacrificing depth. While Lokoya Cabernets always benefit from a good decant, in 2022, the tannins don’t soar into the stratosphere. Instead, they hover—like the vineyard itself—at the peak elevation of Napa’s mountain fruit, around 2,600 feet. The result is a wine that’s accessible now, especially when paired with well-salted braised meats. A medley of bright herbal tones mingles with blackberry, black cherry, and mulberry, while the tannins carry a chocolatey edge. Beneath it all, a persistent mineral thread of ironstone and wet river rock grounds the wine. It’s fresh, inviting, and powerful—built to cellar for decades despite the vintage’s warmth. The structure is sound. This wine is sourced primarily from two sites: the 6.4-hectare Wallis Vineyard and the 7.2-hectare Rhyolite Ridge, both rooted in volcanic soils that define Diamond Mountain’s rugged, rocky terrain. Winemaker Chris Carpenter notes that Diamond Mountain is the warmest of Napa Valley’s mountain appellations, which yields softer tannins, slightly higher pH, and more savoury acidity. Lokoya, owned by the Jackson Family, is devoted exclusively to 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines from four of Napa’s mountain AVAs: Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder. The winemaking is identical across all four bottlings—native yeast fermentation, hand pump-overs, malolactic fermentation in barrel, and 22 months of ageing in 85% new French oak. What distinguishes the wines is not style, but place. Carpenter believes the signature of fine Napa Valley Cabernet isn’t only in the soils, but also in the influence of Pacific breezes that roll through the region—cooling the valley from south to north in the evenings, and from north to south in the mornings. Above the fog line, the mountains experience more moderate diurnal shifts, allowing fruit to ripen slowly and steadily. That balance of sun, soil, and wind is what shapes the identity of Lokoya’s mountain-grown Cabernets—and in 2022, Diamond Mountain speaks with clarity and confidence.