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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.8 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 284 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Bluethunder on 4/29/2024 & rated 92 points: Black fruit, cassis, chocolate with nice finish. (437 views) | | | Tasted by EMTAME on 4/29/2024 & rated 91 points: At age 14, this still needs a good long decant or a few more years in the cellar. It wasn't really starting to show its best until 3+hours into being opened, at which point it was almost gone. Prior to that point, it was brooding and just not giving a lot of joy. (462 views) | | | Tasted by unc0rked on 3/24/2024 & rated 92 points: Tasted this in 2020 and the notes are very similar: Nice Napa cabernet with good structure and core dark fruit. Just a bit of heat on the slightly velvet finish that took about 2 points off. The tannins were shed and this wine seem to be drinking nicely. Still very youthful. A short decant but I do not think the heat goes away with a longer one. (526 views) | | | Tasted by bobh22314 on 11/3/2023 & rated 95 points: Second bottle this week. The first left in the fridge with the top off for two days. The second pandp. The first lasted and improved. The second absolutely delicious. Pretty much the same notes as before. Still expecting this to grit the 20 year mark. Right now at its peak and no indication it is anywhere near going downhill (1080 views) | | | Tasted by prism on 10/18/2023 & rated 94 points: Brought to a restaurant; decanted for 45 minutes. A lovely Cab from the Napa Valley floor, drinking very well. (808 views) | | | Tasted by CWilliam on 10/12/2023 & rated 94 points: PNP and paired with grilled NY strips. Black / red in the glass with a slight change from rim to center. On nose, cassis, blackberry, sweet cherry (only with lots of air), cinnamon, bell pepper and touch of dark chocolate.
Full body, medium+ acidity, medium tannins and very long finish. Still fruit primary (not as complex as nose) - blackberry, black cherry, black currants. Aging beautifully. 94+/- (925 views) | | | Tasted by JuliannaDHS on 10/2/2023 & rated 91 points: Very nice with some complexity (and lots of ripe berry fruit). Mint/herbal notes, some earth but overall monolithic. More time? (870 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 8/28/2023 & rated 93 points: 2nd bottle of 4, I last had a bottle about 2 yrs ago.
Lovely, deep and inky, with an inviting nose of red and black fruits, hot tar, some cassis, espresso grounds, and mint.
On the palate, full bodied, with great presence on the palate, deep and dark fruit flavors alongside earthy elements and tar.
The acidity is very good for the fullness of this wine, keeping it fresh and delightful. A lovely Napa Cab, drink now through 2028 or so. (690 views) | | | Tasted by SonnyChiba on 5/15/2023 & rated 93 points: Bought at the vineyard in 2013 and have been looking forward to drinking...Caught it at a good time right now, though plenty of years ahead with this one. Overall solid Napa Cab with everything you'd hope for, deep rich fruit but balanced. 2010 might be one of my favorite Napa vintages. And I love this estate, though wasn't a fan of the people working at the vineyard/tasting, I remember them pushing me to buy wines. Would've bought a lot more if they weren't so pushy. (1148 views) | | | Tasted by CWilliam on 2/26/2023 & rated 94 points: Black in the glass. On nose, cassis, blackberry, black cherry, plum and cedar. On palate, full body, elegant mouthfeel, medium acidity/ tannins and very long finish. Palate flavor profile of cassis, blackberry and menthol. Has aged beautifully. 94+/- (1127 views) | | | Tasted by bobh22314 on 12/16/2022 & rated 95 points: Barley a hint of orange at the rim. Needed an hour to really open up. Black fruits and minerals on the nose. Black fruits on the palate with more fruit showing than I rember from other tastings. Big full smooth with tannins mellowed. Given the development in the glass I think there are several more years left. Have had a number of older Larkmead which have all stood to the 20 year mark so expect the same hear. Best of the regular Larkmead bottlings. (1189 views) | | | Tasted by Roentgen Ray on 8/4/2022 & rated 93 points: Purchased from vineyard and cellared since release, cork in great condition.
Very funky with some horse manure, cranberry, and pomegranate.
It's completely different in the mouth, beautiful silky structure with juicy ripe blue fruit and soft acidity.
Finish goes on for 90 seconds. (1805 views) | | | Tasted by Darwine on 5/25/2022 & rated 95 points: Beautiful nose of sweet dried dates and fig. The palate was full of black cherry and maybe blackberry! Finish was expressive with dark fruit and a hint of chocalote! A great steak wine! (1749 views) | | | Tasted by tann0008 on 4/30/2022 & rated 97 points: Leather and cinnamon on the nose. Cherry licorice and milk chocolate on the palate. Smooth cherry pie and espresso finish. Excellent drinking right now. (1576 views) | | | Tasted by bobh22314 on 3/28/2022 & rated 94 points: Drank without much thought which was a shame as this is very good My sense would be in its drinking window but barely Lots of life left. (1708 views) | | | Tasted by SMHalps on 3/18/2022 & rated 93 points: Opened but not decanted at a NYC Steakhouse with my wine group as part of a Napa Cabernet tasting. My 3rd favorite out of 4 cabs, but really just a hair behind the the first two wines. A medium+ bodied wine with a great nose and medium long finish. Personally, I have usually preferred Larkmead's regular cabs to their higher priced premium Cuvees. I placed it behind the 2012 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder because it was slightly less complex than the O'Sh. (1563 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 11/7/2021 & rated 93 points: 1st of 4 bottles. Enjoyed 1/2 the bottle over 3 hours, will have the remainder tomorrow.
Deep and regal in tone and hue, quite open-knit on the nose, showing off road tar, cassis, fresh espresso grounds, and wet forest wood.
Black cherries and blackcurrant on the palate, with gorgeous interplay of earthiness and fruit. Perfect high-end Napa representation.
Some grit on the moderately well-rounded tannins, and nice levels of acidity to keep this reeled-in wine from being too jammy or overdone. Drink now through 2030+. (1956 views) | | | Tasted by SMHalps on 7/9/2021 & rated 93 points: My second bottle of this vintage in just over a month. Really enjoyable, but this bottle took longer to open up than the one I had in June. I have 2 more left and I'll make sure to decant it next time. I had this at a NYC Steakhouse and the first half of the bottle was a pop 'n pour, while the 2nd half of the bottle sat untouched for 45 minutes. It started out with a searing tannic bite, but continually got better the entire night. (2122 views) | | | Tasted by KristianT on 7/3/2021 & rated 95 points: Haven't had this since visiting the winery some six years ago. What a treat. Clearly California Cabernet, but with the elegance of a Bordeaux. Wonderfully old-school Napa. Amazing bottle. Still great freshness and plenty of years left and likely room for even more improvement. (1874 views) | | | Tasted by SMHalps on 6/2/2021 & rated 93 points: Popped 'n poured at a NYC Steakhouse. This was drinking so well right now. The fruit and tannins are in great balance. Really much more enjoyable than the 2014 Caymus that we had alongside it. Hard to believe that WS (88 points) and WA (95+ by Antonio Galloni) could give such different scores. I think Larkmead's "entry" level Cab is always a hit, and I prefer it to their more expensive Cabs. (2065 views) | | | Tasted by Winevestor on 5/23/2021 & rated 92 points: Dark damson - no bricking. Big nose - plum, red currant and vanilla. Briarly, big mouth feel, highly integrated tannins, an acid hit, big fruit - more plum. Drinking well, I don't think its going to get any better. (1867 views) | | | Tasted by bonedoc on 3/19/2021: 10/11/12 vertical blind tasting: ranking 10, 12, then 11. all wines in the low 90's.
10: best of bunch, nicely balanced milk chocolate mocha fruit, perfumey aromatics
11: outlier of the three, likely due to the rainy weather that vintage, fruit profile totally different and least appealing
12: #2 of 3, a bit more acid than the 10, and a touch less fruit.... maybe will benefit from additional cellaring. (1769 views) | | | Tasted by Elkcims on 2/9/2021 & rated 94 points: Best after 3 hour slow-ox with alcohol level diminishing. Medium body, pencil shavings, loamy forest floor, cocoa, black currant, brown baking spice, mint, leather.
Lush mouthfeel, with the fruit fully incorporated with the oak and earthy undertones. Fruit is just starting to slightly turn.
I've always felt that Larkmead CS gets overlooked and is no second fiddle to the new and flashy brands. I sense the older wine making traditions with every Larkmead CS. (1854 views) | | | Tasted by VAGenius on 2/5/2021 & rated 95 points: Cedar and oak nose with spice, vanilla, and coconut. Layers of currant, plum, and red fruits with mint, wintergreen, black peppercorns, thyme, and cooca. Caressing finish with red currants, damp earth, cherry, roses, and super-elongated tannins forming a long and outstanding finale. 95 points. (1705 views) | | | Tasted by Tym4wine on 12/31/2020 & rated 91 points: Very nice floral aroma. Has some good grip and nice acidity. Blackberry, blueberry and cassis. Rounded and smooth. Medium+ finish. Very nice wine. (1693 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2013, IWC Issue #168
(Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: An Epic Vintage (Dec 2012)
(Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Larkmead Vineyards Producer website2010 Larkmead Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonFrom Andy Smith, Winemaker:
2010 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
VARIETAL COMPOSITION:76% CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 7% MERLOT, 7% CABERNET FRANC, 7% PETIT VERDOT & 3% MALBEC
ERUIT: 100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED AT LARKMEAD VINEYARDS
AGING:20 MONTHS62% NEW FRENCH OAK
COOPERAGES: ERMITAGE, DEMPTOS, SYLVAIN & ATELIER
Dark ruby purple color. Cool season aromatic complexity - precise and highly detailed. Savory dried herb, cocoa
dust, graphite, intense black cherry core, cassis/mineral purity, menthol/tobacco and a subtle fragrant fennel edge.
Immediate generous fruit richness. Soft and enveloping palate that maintains focus and clarity. Larkmead vineyard
signature dominates - gravelly blackcurrant, complex herb notes, dark cocoa and clove. Long fine silky tannins,
supple and lively that gain weight. Fruit sweetness develops with time in the glass. The finish sails on and on.
In cool growing seasons it's typical for the Calilornian fruit richness we often take for granted to take a back seat
to the more complex notes of herb and underbrush that form a vineyards inherent signature or character - the
aromas and flavors of the site and its soils. No previous season does this so forcefully as 2010. With this set of wines,
Larkmeads dynamic natural character is front and center - both magnified and magnificent.
Our 2010 Estate Cabernet is the fullest expression of site that I can remember since the 2001 vintage. There's less emphasis on fruit extract and texture
than there is on layered complexity and breezy freshness. The wine shows an effortless complexity and elegance that is not obscured by layers of bottled
sunshine. It's sophisticated, not obvious and it's the combination of the wine's many nuances that form its beauty. All component parts are harmonious
and integrated and it's among my favorite three or four vintages in my fifteen years at Larkmead. Drinkable on release, this wine will age on its
impeccable balance of succulent fruit, supple tannin and bright acidity for 12 to 15 years, becoming sweet, broad and mellow as it matures.
Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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