Community Tasting Note

msuwine wrote:

Monday, February 19, 2018 - This is a stunning Napa Cabernet that has aged beautifully and is drinking near its peak. Ripe, structured, and classy, this wine has it all. I've come to believe that the Solari is the pinnacle of Larkmead's offerings, and this is easily the best Solari I've ever tasted. In fact, it's the best wine I've ever tasted to date.

Dark red in color, full in body, welcoming nose of ripe cherry, gravel, and graphite. Layered and nuanced tastes of boysenberry, dark chocolate, baking spices, and herbs, with dusty tannins and a hint of sweetness that make the finish go on and on. 14.7% alcohol. Blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. Like a David Ortiz walk-off home run, this wine runs the bases between the Old World and the New, on the way to proving that power and thickness can come in a grounded and graceful package.

If you will indulge me (and the third paragraph of a tasting note is, almost by definition, an indulgence), this wine offers a compelling definition of "integration" - a commonly used (and seldom-defined) word in wine. Here, the fruit, acidity, and tannin merge; the aromas, taste, and finish, too, are interwoven; it's ripe, earthy, and structured, all in one. No element sticks out; no piece gets left behind; each part enhances the other.

And now comes the anthropomorphism (because, hey, it's the fourth paragraph!): This wine doesn't have the exuberance of a precocious young talent who has potential and power, without realizing the value and responsibility of each. Instead, it's a wine that has matured, developed, and learned from its mistakes; it prepared, walked onto the stage, said its piece, and dropped the mic. In other words, it's not JFK; it's Lincoln. Wow.

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