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The Story We Didn't Tell
Over the months to come, we'll be telling you more about the riverboat gamblers on the highest perches of Napa's mountains who waited out the rain that fell in mid-October 2009, not harvesting until early November. They would bring in a small crop (down 30% from the norm) of Cabernet Sauvignon that many on Diamond Mountain believe outdistanced even the staggering 2007, providing for wines of massive concentration, yet silken tannic structure.
But when we offered Ry Richards' inaugural release of 2009 Sueno Profundo Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon a few months ago, we took it easy on the hyperbole. We spoke of Al Brounstein, the winegrowing pioneer who rolled the dice on the mountain while others watched in disbelief. We made little of the fact that the vineyard from which Ry drew his Cabernet also goes primarily into the grower's own Diamond Mountain beauty, a regular Robert Parker 95-point star.
We didn't even tell you that of all the 2009 mountain Cabernets we tasted on our cellar-hopping trip just before these blockbusters were bottled, Richards' first release stood tall among the O'Shaughnessys, Robert Craigs, and Cades. Why not? Aren't we trying to move out as much as we can as fast as possible? Isn't that the whole idea? Generally speaking, yes. But not this time.
Richards was stuck, if you remember. He'd done everything right, waiting out the rain, the harvest conducted under perfect blue skies -- with perfectly ripe, clean, tiny clusters hitting the crusher. The vinification was textbook, a page out of the book of his mentor, Phil Titus, up at Chappellet. But, as is the case with so many young winemakers these days, they're far better at the creative than the cash flow accounting.
Richards made 8 barrels of this Diamond Mountain gem (and eight more of three other Cabernet single vineyard lots). But in September of 2011, his checking account hardly argued for the purchase of bottles, corks and labels without a quick cash infusion. Ry offered us half his production at slightly over cost -- if we could arrange for quick payment, a savings we passed on to a few members last November in what was one of the fastest Napa Cabernet sellouts in history. But we offered just 75 of the 100 cases, holding back the rest until the ratings streamed in for Redux.
There were just 100 buyers (interestingly, most purchased solid cases). About 20% rated the wine a staggering 4.17 out of 5 stars. But what really left us smiling were the handful of reviews that some of you took the time to post on WineAccess:
 Outstanding body
By Wilkes13529713, January 04, 2012
We just opened the first bottle last night, it had a wonderful flavor and a very full body, was more like a $100+ 95 pt wine
Ridiculously Excellent
By DuPont12129548, December 24, 2011
You open the bottle and dark berries jump out then you pour and the earthy tobacco-like berries jump out. You taste and immediately melt into the outstanding depth of this wine. I want to keep it but every person that sample it wants it. I'm sharing and then getting MORE!
 Wow!!
By Seider14108251, December 16, 2011
Outstanding wine! Right next door you would pay $175.00 at least for a wine of similar or less quality. Hats off to an outstanding wine and winemaker!
Now you know it all. About the lightening fast sellout. About Ry's Diamond Mountain gamble and the 95pt vineyard (pretty easy to figure out which one). About this Cabernet's cassis-laden concentration, fabulous mountain chewiness, and lavish, silken tannins lurking in the backdrop. About holding a bit back for Redux. And now you're ready to pull the trigger. But there's just one problem -- what the French call 'le probleme de trop peu.'
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Tasting Notes
2009 Sueno Profundo Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District
"Opaque purple to the edge. Piercing aromas of mountain blackberries, cassis, a light lacing of new wood cedar. Rich, powerful, really huge on the attack. Big, concentrated and voluminous on the mid-palate with sneaky tannins lurking in the back drop. This is really a superb first effort. Drink now, if you must, for its sheer primary fruit hedonism or lay down for a decade in a cool cellar."
-- WineAccess Travel Log
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