The Monte Vista and Diamond Mountain Vineyard is a six-building farm complex and twenty-six acre vineyard located in the mountains above Napa Valley. Constructed in 1896, with buildings added over the next two decades,the property is an excellent example of a mountain vineyard farm complex in Napa Valley. Typical of the period Monte Vista functioned as a small mountaintop vineyard operated by a single family until Prohibition (1920- 1933), when the sale, making and transportation of alcohol was made illegal in the United States. The property illustrates agricultural trends relating to the development of the viticulture industry in Napa County during the late 19th and early 20th century,when vineyards and wineries in Northern California flourished.

Source: National Park Service

When we drove up Diamond Mountain Road in December 2015, the vineyard was doing business as CONSTANT Diamond Mountain Vineyard. CONSTANT produces a limited supply of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Claret and Syrah from its mountain estate exclusively for mailing list members.

J. Laube wrote in the January 1999 edition of The Wine Spectator: "A new can't miss cabernet....It reminds me of the first time I tasted Dalla Valle, Bryant Family, Harlan Estate or Screaming Eagle....this vineyard is able to produce stunning wines on a consistent basis."

High praise indeed.

Because the property is gated and we had no appointment, we were unable to view the historic buildings, but the drive up the mountain in the morning fog was lovely.