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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.3 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 107 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by B&T on 2/25/2024: Tons of life left in this. Likely opened too soon - there is 10 solid years of life left in this Firebelle. (310 views) | | | Tasted by Bluethunder on 10/17/2022 & rated 93 points: PnP, Dark fruit, cherries, chocolate and spice. Evolves as it opens up over a few hours. Initially, lots of sweet currants which settled down as the wine opened up. Overall, a very good wine. (1580 views) | | | Tasted by VAGenius on 9/6/2022 & rated 92 points: Nose of smoky plum, coffee, currant, and cedar. Black plum and black currant on the plush textured palate with thyme, mint, and hints of tarragon and black licorice, though not a lot of acidity. Mouthful of gentle, resolved tannins on the finish with some black cherry fruit riding over cigar box, vanilla, soft oak, and a touch of potpourri. (1418 views) | | | Tasted by Chip Merlot on 6/12/2022 & rated 96 points: Second of 4 bottles purchased as futures through club. First bottle was about 18 months ago and I enjoyed it but didn't think the QPR was there. Worried I'd made a mistake. Wow what a difference that extra time made! Poured glasses about 90 minutes before first sip accompanying grilled sirloins and baked potatoes, and remainder of the bottle aired out horizontally in an old-timey wine cradle. The bouquet upon pouring was fantastic so I knew a treat was in store. Then sitting down, tons of red fruit flavors in a luxe robe of earthy dark dark chocolate on the palate. Not a great deal of complexity but sometimes you're just looking for the right tone to be hit and this hit it, like a giant gong. Classic Napa aroma and flavor profile, in my experience if I'd tasted it blind I'd have guessed Napa immediately. In my book that is a big plus, although I love wines from other areas. Speaking of which: Night 2, after happily downing the remaining 5 ounces, I then turned to the remainder of an inexpensive Super Tuscan that I have 5-6 times a year to finish out the meal. What a letdown. Nothing wrong with it, but the contrast just reminded me of why sometimes the extra money can be worth it. Having said that, L'mead did price me out of their club several years ago so I cherish the bottles I still have. (1785 views) | | | Tasted by domco on 1/26/2022: Dark fruits, still pretty well balanced. Very drinkable, but not really memorable or special at this point? For the price, would like a little more… (2179 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 11/21/2021 & rated 92 points: Light dirty nose (which is surprising for larkmead) Tannins are heavy and dry finish tannins 8/10.
Hl 3. Fd 3. (2166 views) | | | Tasted by Elkcims on 8/6/2021 & rated 95 points: 3 hour decant: Lush, sweet black currant, earthy spice, dark chocolate. Very rich red wine with a big wallop of Merlot. Saved overnight with nitro wine preserve made it more balanced and lovely on Day 2. 94-95 (1784 views) | | | Tasted by ciesel on 6/29/2021 & rated 88 points: Good (1695 views) | | | Tasted by yeti575rider on 5/16/2021 & rated 91 points: Similar to last bottle and far from my favorite Firebelle. That said got the better of the Carter Hossfield. Actually drank over 2 nights. Not much change but thought it was slightly better the first day with a bit more intensity to the fruit. (1748 views) | | | Tasted by grasshopper on 11/28/2020 & rated 93 points: Could (should?) have easily waited years to drink this (2057 views) | | | Tasted by EMTAME on 10/4/2020 & rated 93 points: At age 8, this is ready to go, with all the pieces perfectly in place. Pleasant, if somewhat subdued, on the nose, opening to a full-bodied palate of ripe summer blackberries, macerated black cherries, and a dash of light roast coffee. Rounded tannins make a brief appearance in the finish. To me, this is at peak and I’d happily drink more over the next 2-3 years, if there were any in the cellar. (2026 views) | | | Tasted by brasstab on 9/19/2020 & rated 94 points: Firebelle won the night -- against a Saffredi, no less. We did a comparison of 2012s and this Bordeaux blend hit it out of the park. Classic Napa fruit, structure and strong graphite core. (1772 views) | | | Tasted by Sdouglass20 on 9/18/2020 & rated 97 points: Decanted for just 30 min but was still phenomenal. Has legs but no reason not to start enjoying now (1689 views) | | | Tasted by hfindlay on 7/16/2020: Drank over 5 days and every drop was delish. Never worried once about points (score, price), just let myself love this well-made, rich but balanced, chocolate-cherry glass of yum. I disagree with the aguafiestas below. This wine shows its pedigree. I have five more bottles and I’m in no rush — except to drink more Larkmead in general. (1840 views) | | | Tasted by Coachron13 on 5/15/2020 & rated 90 points: Still no hurry on these. Slow ox for two hours, then drank over three more. Needed the air time to smooth out. A solid enjoyable blend, but doesn’t quite Live up to its price tag. (1579 views) | | | Tasted by seminolkev on 4/18/2020: Start drinking no sooner than 2023 (1591 views) | | | Tasted by xuaeinw on 4/15/2020 & rated 91 points: Needs air to open up. Should be good for 5 plus years. Good with hearty food (short ribs). (1610 views) | | | Tasted by jonphillips on 4/10/2020 & rated 90 points: The wine that killed my love of Larkmead and captured their cynicism. Dramatic raising of prices across the board, even for wines that were pedestrian. Sorry for the political tasting note. The wine is fine. 90 points is accurate. (1516 views) | | | Tasted by bonedoc on 3/12/2020 & rated 89 points: Probably a 90 point wine, but I took away a point for the price. This wine imo underachieves in every vintage I’ve had. That being said, I think larkmead’s other wines are generally terrific. (1541 views) | | | Tasted by SMHalps on 2/29/2020 & rated 91 points: Leap Year Melot Night (Bobby Van's on Park, NYC): Opened, but not decanted for almost 60 minutes before pouring. I had this as part of a Merlot tasting with my wine group. Disappointing for the price point. Nice wine, very refined, especially compared to the other Merlots in the tasting. Really no better than the 2013 Substance Merlot that followed it. Overpriced for my tastes. A quick note: I had meant to bring the 2013, but couldn't find it in my cellar. I just realized for 2013, Larkmead changed the color of the Firebelle label! (1659 views) | | | Tasted by B&T on 2/21/2020: Great bottle! Significant depth to the nose, ending in dark cherry liquor. Luscious and full bodied, with bright fruits and great structure. Style is a marriage of old and new world. Drinking great, but clearly just coming into it's own. This will drink well for the next 5-10 years. Another stellar effort from Dan Petroski. (1475 views) | | | Tasted by D3S on 1/1/2020 & rated 93 points: Great wine, I would recommend at least an hour decant if consumed in near future. Wine improved significantly after about an hour in the glass. (1410 views) | | | Tasted by Sonoma-W on 12/26/2019 & rated 93 points: Excellent! Great balance of fruit, charcoal. (1188 views) | | | Tasted by yeti575rider on 11/26/2019 & rated 90 points: I'm with MSUWright on this one. The last bottle of 2010 Firebelle was one of my top wines of the year and was just awesome. This fell flat. I just thought it was disjointed and lacking the merlot character that makes this so unique. I need to check the mix to see if they tweaked the mix more this year. Not bad by any means so still giving a 90 but just kind of heavy. (1506 views) | | | Tasted by Livermore Dan on 11/23/2019 & rated 93 points: Big deep chocolate taste. A loose wine with earthy tones. Full bodied. Chewy. Rich with some cherry. (1390 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, New Releases from Napa Valley: 2012 and 2013 (Dec 2014) (9/1/2014)
(Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Terroir Matters - Updated (Nov 2013)
(Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Larkmead Vineyards Producer websiteRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican 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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