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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.6 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 234 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Bluethunder on 4/16/2024 & rated 93 points: PnP. Drinking well, very enjoyable. (562 views) | | | Tasted by jmw17 on 4/15/2024: This needed 10 hours to open fully but blossomed quite wonderfully with air. (540 views) | | | Tasted by sswine on 12/25/2023 & rated 93 points: Wow - opened this up and let it decant for 4 hours while cooking dinner. A little muted on the nose but really opened up with time and it lingered on the palate with notes of porcini and lovely sweet berries on the finish. Paired with buttermilk brined Roast Turkey, Crown Roast of Lamb w italian sausage and cranberry stuffing and Mushroom Wellington - it went down a treat!
Looking at my last tasting note I'm hoping it was a one off and I look forward to the other 9 or so in my cellar over the coming years. (1070 views) | | | Tasted by prism on 12/13/2023 & rated 93 points: Brought to a restaurant, decanted for a half-hour. Excellent Napa valley floor Cab, nice balance, youthful but not too young; drinking well now, but will likely improve with time, so drink or hold. (956 views) | | | Tasted by azcowino on 11/23/2023 & rated 84 points: Tignt tart nose and on the palate; dark black fruit, blackberry but some blue berry, tight pencil lead, heavy oak with hints of tobacco. Perhaps this is not the best bottle, but it did not taste corked. We hope the rest are better. (1131 views) | | | Tasted by EFrohmader on 10/8/2023 & rated 94 points: Cassis, blackberry, plum, sweet tobacco, graphite, vanilla, toasted oak. Medium-plus body. Tannins well integrated. A bit fruity/sweet. Really good. Went well with steak. Ready now but no rush either. (1121 views) | | | Tasted by Cabernet4me2 on 8/5/2023 & rated 94 points: Thought it might be a little early to drink this '12, but had a couple more so was curious how it was progressing along.... and was more than pleasantly surprised!!
This was pretty ready to go at PnP.... and with a few hours of Slow Ox, this really came into its own.
Was enjoying this at the HBowl, so no real ability to take any notes.. but this was primarily black fruit driven, great mouthfeel and tannin, nice finish. Was not super complex at this point but was past just the primary notes.. and had a great secondary...and think theres a decent chance for this to improve some with more cellar time.
Dont be shy to pop one now.. but think there's some better things to come for those that can wait a bit more... Cheers!! (2005 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 2/16/2023: Third of an auction lot of 3, and not much I can add to my note of just over a year ago. Singing off the pour, this is a wine in full, with vibrant fruit and potent tannins and acidity working in perfect harmony, with just enough separateness to keep things interesting. Held well over 3 nights indicating that, while this is bang on in its drinking window, it should have years to go at this level (my window is 4 years longer than CT’s). Great with red sauce pasta and also on its own. Really elegant, and even if it doesn’t have quite the sophistication and complexity of LM’s more expensive Cabs and blends, quite great at $100- (I was thankfully well minus, as I’ve been for all vintages of this bottling). Bravo, Dan Petroski! 95 if scoring. (2813 views) | | | Tasted by Blackwa on 2/11/2023 & rated 94 points: Heady aromas of black currant with menthol and camphor. Dense palate with well integrated tannins and dark fruit flavors. Nice finish with a bit of tobacco on the retro nasal. (1683 views) | | | Tasted by SMHalps on 1/13/2023 & rated 92 points: Part of a 2012 Napa Cabernet tasting. While I liked it, I was disappointed, as I expected to like it much more, based on experiences with previous Larkmead Cabs. It was opened, but not decanted for over 45 minutes before pouring. I had it 3rd (out of 3), behind the 2012 Hayfork Lewelling Vineyard, the 2012 Caymus. Medium bodied, medium length finish. (1909 views) | | | Tasted by prism on 11/5/2022 & rated 94 points: Used some for cooking pot roast, and it was NOT a waste; the added flavors were complex and wonderful. This is a very attractive Cab, with fine tannins, hints of cedar, and a lovely balance of fruit and oak. Young, but eminently drinkable now. (2292 views) | | | Tasted by Sonoma-W on 8/29/2022 & rated 94 points: Dark fruit; still quite young tasting; robust (2354 views) | | | Tasted by Quiet Lion on 7/17/2022 & rated 93 points: From Jeroboam. Broad, full palate of blackcurrant with balanced tannins and acid, very typical of a quality Napa Cab and showing beautifully. (2643 views) | | | Tasted by nphase on 5/27/2022 & rated 88 points: Very polished and fruit forward. Blueberries and plum for days. Not my bag. (2623 views) | | | Tasted by hfindlay on 3/31/2022: Paired beautifully with roast duck. Brought out the sweetness in the meat. Great aromatics. (2921 views) | | | Tasted by phattyjrb on 3/12/2022 & rated 92 points: Better than first try (2692 views) | | | Tasted by canan on 3/5/2022 & rated 94 points: Packed with sweet and dark black currant fruit. It is still a young wine but it has certainly opened up nicely.
There is still a decent balance due to the high acidity and it is clearly an expressive wine with much to offer.
It does need 2-3 hours of decanting to open. (2641 views) | | | Tasted by Hawkeye_Addict on 2/19/2022 & rated 96 points: Beautiful wine. Blueberry galore. Out of magnum. Decanted for two hours prior. Don’t see it getting much better. Cheers! (2471 views) | | | Tasted by AAJR on 2/6/2022 & rated 94 points: Best showing to date, age is helping this along. Optimistic that continued improvement & maturity is on the horizon. Dark purple colored. Fruitful nose that was easy to identify and enjoy as the bottle was decanted. Dark berry, black cherry, cinnamon/spice and dark cocoa flavors. Medium + finish. Integrated tannins that have significantly resolved over time. (2416 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 2/4/2022 & rated 95 points: Second bottle of 3, and what a difference 32 months makes! As I noted then, this wine was full of potential, but obtrusive tannins seemed to outweigh the positives (91), even after a long decant and a few nights of being open. This time, this was pretty much singing out of the bottle, and after 45 minutes of air, I recorked it as I drank. Lovely notes of moderately powerful black and other dark berries backed by earthy minerality, sweet spice, soy, dark chocolate and graphite. Now immaculately balanced, this medium-bodied cab has that Bordeaux quality, by turns elegant and a bit rustic, more savory than sweet, stellar with a fillet, but with more than enough elegance to shine on its own, putting it solidly ahead of the recent, excellent Col D’Orcia. Perfectly resolved, this seems to be at its peak, but figures to have a good bit of time before dropping off. I’ve had mixed feelings about the handful of Dan Petroski wines I’ve had, but this one is firing on all cylinders right now, making me feel good about the prospects for the Solari and Dr. Olmo currently peacefully sleeping in my collection. 94-95+ (2415 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 1/3/2022 & rated 91 points: NOT blind
Always the least complex of the Larkmead range for me. Dark and still youthful. (I don't think this ever gets rounded but who knows)
Tannins are still powerful (8/10). Little nose, dark red with significant acidity in the mid palate which softens in the finish which is positive.
Mid palate is still brooding and dark with blue and some red (not fruity) berries and fruits.
HL 2 FD 3 FI 4/5 (2645 views) | | | Tasted by EMTAME on 11/25/2021 & rated 93 points: In a great spot for drinking now, with two hours in the decanter. Makes me miss Larkmead, which used to be my favorite winery. Used to be on the list and had a bunch in the cellar. Then the prices went way up and I had to say goodbye. Down to just one bottle now. (2400 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 11/21/2021 & rated 91 points: Smooth and dark chocolate in the finish. (2219 views) | | | Tasted by phattyjrb on 11/15/2021 & rated 90 points: A little lighter than expected (2260 views) | | | Tasted by Red Sox Fan on 8/15/2021 & rated 93 points: Suggest 3 hour decant for the 12 Larkmead regular bottling to be at its best right now. (2744 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 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Terroir Matters - Updated (Nov 2013)
(Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Panel Tasting
Decanter, Californian Cabernet 2012
(Larkmead, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and Decanter. (manage subscription channels) |
| Larkmead Vineyards Producer websiteCabernet 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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