A thousand feet above the valley in the Mayacamas Range, the Diamond Mountain Diamond Mountain Viticultural Area enjoys sunny skies on days when the valley below is shrouded in fog. Thousands of golden-toned, unearthed rocks form the seemingly endless, hand-built walls that rim the vineyards of Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard at the top of Diamond Mountain Road. The three-mile road is so narrow and tortuous that Fred and Mary Constant generally ferry visitors up themselves, an exciting expedition in either an open 1942 Army jeep or a Swiss-made military transport vehicle called a Pinesgauer.
Then, it’s off on “Fred’s Wild Ride,” accompanied by Floozie, a black Portuguese water dog, on steep, bumpy vineyard trails to see vernal and man-made ponds and lakes, a dark pine and redwood forest. A restored farmhouse and a stone root cellar remain from the original 1885 homestead.
Lavender and roses are fragrant around the reception building, where from the terrace you will see the most spectacular views in the California wine country, a panorama of Mount St. Helena and the upper Napa Valley, parts of Mendocino and Lake counties, and often, as far as the peaks of Mount Diablo and Mount Shasta.
Just 1,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon are produced here at a tiny winery sheltered by striped canvas curtains and topped by a bocce ball court. The Constant Cabs are known for elegant currant and mocha flavors, some with notes of cedar and plum, and they are available only at the winery and at a handful of restaurants in the United States.
Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyards
2121 Diamond Mountain Road
Calistoga, CA 94515
(707) 942-0707
Website: http://www.constantwine.com
The article on this page is adapted from the book, Backroads of the California Wine Country by Karen Misuraca (www.karenmisuraca.com), published by Voyageur Press.