Al Brounstein died in 2006. Sadly, I never had the chance to meet him, but I did tour the property a couple of times with Boots and her son, Phil Ross. The sprawling ~75-acre estate is a wonderland of terraced old vines, water features, picturesque trails, picnic areas, and flower beds on a scale that would put many public parks to shame. This was Al’s vision and one that he created to share. Each summer, the Brounsteins would open the property’s gates for a few days and invite mailing list members in to enjoy the grounds and taste wines from the cellar. Most would head straight for the stunning lake Al had constructed by damming the Diamond Creek—the perfect spot for family swimming, fishing, and boating. And, of course, next to this lake was the tiny Lake Vineyard.

1978 was the first time Al Brounstein did a single vineyard bottling from Lake Vineyard.

From then on, he would continue to bottle it separately in exceptional vintages. Because only 25 cases were made, the 1978 Lake is exceedingly rare nowadays; there can’t be many bottles left in existence. A collector friend happened to own two and recently shared them at a dinner in Napa. One was purchased years ago from the winery and was signed by Al. This one displayed a lot of bright, pure red fruit with a floral undercurrent and fantastic tension. It was still amazingly youthful. The second bottle revealed more tartrate crystals on the cork and sides of the bottle, and the acidity appeared a little lower, likely because of the crystalized tartaric acid coming out of solution. It had a similar red fruit profile but more exotic spices and earthy nuances; ultimately, it seemed more complex. Both were in very good condition and just plain delicious—a stunning tribute to the Brounsteins.

Following the passing of Boots in 2019, the estate was sold in March 2020 to the Rouzaud family, owners of Maison Louis Roederer, adding to their collection of iconic vineyards around the world, including Château Pichon Lalande in Pauillac and Merry Edwards in Sonoma.

Nicole Carter, then president of Merry Edwards, also assumed management of Diamond Creek. Graham Wehmeier (formerly at Futo Estate) took over winemaking from longstanding and celebrated winemaker Phil Steinschriber. I recently caught up with Nicole and Graham at the winery.

The major change at Diamond Creek since the Rouzaud family’s purchase is in the vineyards. Replanting in areas was long overdue, and around 25% of the estate is now being replanted. Yet a quick tour of the estate with Nicole and Graham revealed that, amazingly, some of the original vines—dry grown on St. Georges rootstock—are still going strong. 

"At around twenty acres, it’s possible to oversee both winemaking and viticulture here, which is ideal," said Graham.

“We want to continue to express the singularity of the three vineyards. That's our uniting pillar with the Rouzuad family's goals. And sustainability. We were certified organic here from 2024. We are working on improving the soil for the long term.”

We sat to taste new 2021 releases—Graham's first full vintage here. 

“We don't want to change the wines too dramatically,” said Graham. “Our mailing list has been very loyal. Unfortunately, the yields were small in 2021. Because of this and the replanting, we only made around 1400 cases. (Around 2,000 cases in total are produced in a typical year.) 2021 was a very structured vintage. The Gravelly Meadow is a little atypical; the younger vines gave a lot of tannin, while the older vines gave a softer expression. But it’s the perfume that makes it Gravelly.”

The new team at Diamond Creek will continue to make the “Three Vineyard Blend.”

“The Three Vineyard Blend has changed a bit,” explained Nicole. “In 2013, it was made because it was a big vintage, and there was a lot of wine, which would have been a shame to sell in bulk. Now, we will make this label every year.”

“We make the single vineyard selection first,” said Graham. “The lots that are still of ‘grand vin’ quality but don't fit in the single vineyards, we look to see if we can put these into the Three Vineyard Blend. This label tends to be more approachable when young. And this way the selection for the single vineyard wines becomes stricter. This will also give us a home for young vines.”

And as for the future of single vineyard Lake bottlings?  

“The Lake Vineyard we will continue to make occasionally,” confirmed Nicole. 

Lovers of this label will need to be patient, however. The entire ¾ of an acre vineyard has just recently been replanted, as has the small, unnamed, sloped section that sits about it, which will likely be incorporated.

“As before, Lake will only be made in the best years,” Nicole said. “Otherwise, traditionally, it would get blended into Gravelly since the soil types are similar, and we will likely continue to do that. Right now, we're placing bets among the team as to what the first vintage of Lake will be from the new plantings.”

The next vintage isn’t due to reveal itself for another few years; until then, it remains the Lake’s secret.