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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.2 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 125 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Sehrobbi on 10/22/2022: Ok. Not great. Not terrible. A bit bland. (592 views) | | | Tasted by wirelesswine on 6/26/2022 & rated 94 points: From magnum. I opened this, concerned that it may be headed for decline. Experience was quite the opposite - this was firing on all cylinders. Ripe plum and cassis framed by subtle oak and earth, with overall impeccable balance and delicious factor. (863 views) | | | Tasted by eags25fla on 8/29/2020 & rated 90 points: Drank over several nights and was singing on night 3. Nose of black cherry, must, coffee and a touch of oak. Well integrated fruit and silky tannins, still feel the alcohol in the long finish. Consistent with prior bottle - not overly complex. Only drawback. (1649 views) | | | Tasted by Eags25 on 8/1/2020 & rated 88 points: Needed an hour + in the decanter. Fruit of black cherries, iron and some earth - very pleasant, soft and integrated. Lack of structure and a bit one dimensional - enjoyable but just okay. drink now for sure (past prime). (1616 views) | | | Tasted by Jimaronson on 5/24/2019 & rated 96 points: Had this wine tonight with rack of lamb. The wine was compared to 2000 Leoville Barton. The Larkmead took an hour more to open up, but developed into a medium to full bodied, silky, wine with strawberry and complex attributes. A thoroughly enjoyable wine, and although it did not have the graphite and pony barn of the Barton wine, the Larkmead held it's own in it's own way, and was truly delicious.
It was the perfect comparison of French versus California. It's important to understand that the larkmead wine is not made like a typical young fruit forward cab. This was not a tasting to see whether one was better than the other. The comparison of the wines was really to see that each wine had perfection in its own way. The California cab could never be like the French Bordeaux. Vice versa, the Bordeaux could never be like the California cab. The Barton wine was so integrated and mature that it was not overwhelming. Neither was the larkmead super fruit forward without complexity. In the end, the group preferred the 2000 Barton over the 2006 larkmead because of the additional complexity, but that was only evident in the comparison in the wines and on their own they would have both rated similar scores. (2457 views) | | | Tasted by Whine-oh on 2/22/2018 & rated 90 points: Opened this bottle table side at restaurant. Definitely open for business tonight. Nice soft red black fruits of front. Pretty nose to compliment. Resolved tannins. Very soft New World cab ready to go. (2515 views) | | | Tasted by Winedude10 on 1/3/2018 & rated 93 points: Had for New Years with prime ribeye steaks. Wine needs at least an hour decant. Wine is ready to drink, great fruit a bit of spice, full bodied and some darker fruit overtones. I developed more appreciation for Merlot heavy blends from this wine. Excellent wine, sad it is my one and only bottle. (2342 views) | | | Tasted by Jkuryak on 12/31/2016 & rated 93 points: Smooth and delicious. (3119 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 5/25/2016 & rated 93 points: A plush Merlot-based blend that blends Napa fruit with classic style. Dark purple in color, full in body, and an inviting nose of blackberry and charcoal. Round tastes of sweet cherry, blueberry, licorice, and gravel, with mouth-coating tannins. Blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec. 14.7% alcohol. It takes an hour or two to shed its angles, but it is quite compelling when it does. Drink in next year or two. (4069 views) | | | Tasted by kmcminn7 on 2/27/2015 & rated 91 points: Nice nose, immediately approachable, soft on the pallet.
Lots of berry with a long finish. still have 3 left and will try again in another 6 months or so. (4928 views) | | | Tasted by uncle al on 2/21/2015 & rated 92 points: Drinking excellent. Good fruit with some earthiness and nice finish. (3827 views) | | | Tasted by kennyd on 11/20/2014 & rated 91 points: Consistent with 1/7/14 notes. I believe even more strongly now that it's time to drink our last bottle. (4081 views) | | | Tasted by macfan on 11/12/2014 & rated 91 points: Decant. Opened two hours before dinner which wasn't enough. Sat on counter overnight in bottle and much better next day (3160 views) | | | Tasted by yeti575rider on 3/29/2014 & rated 93 points: Dinner with the Keegan's (Our house): 3rd bottle with dinner and my number 1. Tied for first with the 08 Oreno. To me this had the most fruit with a nice peppery and spicy finish. A little fuller and less acidic as well especially compared to the bordeaux. Really really good (as always). (3687 views) | | | Tasted by EMTAME on 1/14/2014 & rated 92 points: No formal note, as this was consumed a few days ago. However, it was the best bottle of the 7 I've consumed over the last couple years. I'm looking forward to my '07s. (2786 views) | | | Tasted by kennyd on 1/7/2014 & rated 91 points: Drinking well right now. Aeration brought out a bit more bouquet but no real change in taste. Classic bordeaux taste and smell. Have to say that I will drink the other two bottles in our cellar soon because I am concerned this wine has flattened, and might start falling off. Still, quite tasty. (2657 views) | | | Tasted by GARDEN on 12/25/2013 & rated 92 points: I served this with our Christmas Day dinner. It is drinking very well. (2360 views) | | | Tasted by dontime on 11/17/2013 flawed bottle: Corked, again. That's three out of the nine I've opened. (2663 views) | | | Tasted by George Lopez on 11/2/2013 & rated 94 points: Really nice. 30 minute decant. Classic Larkmead finish. Very bright with lots of cherry and cola notes. (1989 views) | | | Tasted by Roentgen Ray on 10/15/2013 & rated 91 points: Dark color with nice aromatics, viola, dark blue berry and cassiss / Tannins have the slightest edge that holds it together. Drink or hold. (1968 views) | | | Tasted by jwkagel on 8/31/2013: The wine looks Crimson colored. The legs are Fast. It smells like Green Olive, Prune, Diacetyl(butter), and Vanilla. It tastes like Alcohol/Hot, Black currant (cassis), Prune, and Medium Toast. The body is Medium. The wine has Leathery texture. The wine finishes Medium. (2009 views) | | | Tasted by dontime on 8/13/2013 flawed bottle: Corked. I see a distributing trend. (2183 views) | | | Tasted by dontime on 8/13/2013: First bottle corked. Tried again with better results. Merlot fruit that rounded out to something quite enjoyable by evening's end. If scoring 89-91. (2168 views) | | | Tasted by EMTAME on 8/5/2013 & rated 90 points: My 6th bottle of this. It's always good, sometimes showing more or less of an herbal/eucalyptus note. No hurry on this; it should drink well for at least another 5 years. (1877 views) | | | Tasted by dontime on 6/21/2013: Fruit forward - picked up a bit of candied fruit on the nose. Very tasty although a bit short on complexity. Overall, a nice experience and happy to have several more. If scoring 90-92. (1999 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Larkmead Vineyards Producer website2006 Larkmead Vineyards FirebelleWinemaker Notes:
Alcohol 14.7%
100% Estate grown fruit at Larkmead Vineyards
55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec
Aged for 18 months in 45% new French oak barrels from Tonnelleries Bossuet & Remond
1,800 cases produced
"Good deep ruby red color. Combines a cool season Bordeaux-like nose of tar, damp-earth and game with Californian wild berry fruit aromas and complex rosehip and black tea nuances. The palate opens with cola and smoked meat flavors and is initially tight, dry and structured. With aeration, cassis, black cherry and tobacco notes emerge leading to a sweet mid-palate that is broad, textured and charming. Tannins are bold and mouth-coating and provide length and shape to the wine. Our most age-worthy Firebelle bottling yet, the 2006 will develop positively in bottle for between 5 and 8 years. Decant for an hour on release to allow the wine's mid-palate sweetness to fully emerge and buffer the youthful tannic frame.
Similar in style to our 2006 Estate Cabernet, the new Firebelle release is indicative of the long cool growing season we saw at Larkmead in this unique year. The fruit flavors lean toward the tertiary side of the spectrum - game, earth, etc - verses the pure opulent fruitiness of shorter/warmer growing seasons such as 2004. This gives the wine great Bordeaux-like complexity and ensures you have something special to enjoy when something with a little more subtlety is the answer."Red 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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