Not as good as it is hyped -- 90 points The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes short. The wine has medium acidity.
Not a lot of fruits on the nose, only blackberry came through. White pepper, hint of floral, green bell pepper. High acidity, high tannin, remarkable finish. I think this is no where near ready. Maybe score will go up a bit in a few years.
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My no. 2 wine of the night out of 4 Napa cabs ranging from $75 - 125 and served blind. This was no. 4 overall for the group (8 drinkers). 90 min decant. Deep opaque purple. For me, this was the driest and most earthy and spicy of the group with notes of blackberry, earth, oak, sandalwood, crushed white pepper. Very well rounded chalky tannins and acidity throughout. Full bodied. This is very young by winery's recommended drinking window of 2028 but was still drinking nicely.
Chef Jacques Table - Larkmead wine dinner (L'Auberge Chez Francois, Great Falls VA): Tasted beside the 2015 Solari and Dr Olmo. Bit tricky to really score at this point since needs more time although this is the most ready of the 3. Peppery (black) on the nose and a slight touch of green pepper on the palate. Nice complexity, could maybe use a touch more fruit upfront. Will improve as it integrates and opens up.
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Lovely wine. Nose quite left-bank like. Blackberry, leather, dark chocolate. Moderate tannins with nice acidity that elevates on palate. Nice mouth coating finish.
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Ephemeral nose with hints of herbal and floral notes. Dark, tannic, graphite, tight on the palate . Red and blue fruits and a slightly rustic with a dusty tannin finish.
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Second stop on our ninth day in Napa Valley is to Larkmead Vineyards in Calistoga. Third wine is their LMV Salon which is made up of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc.
Purplish ruby red. A little tight but still very complex on the nose with layers of blue fruits, boysenberries, dusted black cherries, provenance herbs, touch floral and some cinnamon. Heavy tannins (8/10) with a full body. Mulberries on the attack of the palate with some bitter dark cocoa, gritty mouthfeel and a finish of tobacco. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2038.
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The nose was dark with peppery floral tones up front, followed by savory herbs, dark red fruits, and dusty minerals. On the palate, I found soft, enveloping textures with red and blue fruits, inner florals and herbs as brisk acidity added balance and fine tannin settled on the senses. It finished long, spicy and structured with tart cherry and an herbal twang.
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3/31/2024 - brasstab wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux level, as always. Savory, strong and well-built.
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8/14/2023 - axgupta wrote:
Not as good as it is hyped -- 90 points
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle.
The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes short. The wine has medium acidity.
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1/30/2021 - KAT9 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not a lot of fruits on the nose, only blackberry came through. White pepper, hint of floral, green bell pepper. High acidity, high tannin, remarkable finish. I think this is no where near ready. Maybe score will go up a bit in a few years.
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12/22/2020 - Amcmullin wrote:
Slightly tight, somewhat more acidic
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11/3/2019 - RockyII Likes this wine: 93 Points
My no. 2 wine of the night out of 4 Napa cabs ranging from $75 - 125 and served blind. This was no. 4 overall for the group (8 drinkers). 90 min decant. Deep opaque purple. For me, this was the driest and most earthy and spicy of the group with notes of blackberry, earth, oak, sandalwood, crushed white pepper. Very well rounded chalky tannins and acidity throughout. Full bodied. This is very young by winery's recommended drinking window of 2028 but was still drinking nicely.
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3/7/2019 - yeti575rider wrote: 93 Points
Chef Jacques Table - Larkmead wine dinner (L'Auberge Chez Francois, Great Falls VA): Tasted beside the 2015 Solari and Dr Olmo. Bit tricky to really score at this point since needs more time although this is the most ready of the 3. Peppery (black) on the nose and a slight touch of green pepper on the palate. Nice complexity, could maybe use a touch more fruit upfront. Will improve as it integrates and opens up.
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11/11/2018 - dlcass Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely wine. Nose quite left-bank like. Blackberry, leather, dark chocolate. Moderate tannins with nice acidity that elevates on palate. Nice mouth coating finish.
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6/16/2018 - yossarian.livez wrote: 91 Points
Ephemeral nose with hints of herbal and floral notes. Dark, tannic, graphite, tight on the palate . Red and blue fruits and a slightly rustic with a dusty tannin finish.
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6/4/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 94 Points
Second stop on our ninth day in Napa Valley is to Larkmead Vineyards in Calistoga. Third wine is their LMV Salon which is made up of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc.
Purplish ruby red. A little tight but still very complex on the nose with layers of blue fruits, boysenberries, dusted black cherries, provenance herbs, touch floral and some cinnamon. Heavy tannins (8/10) with a full body. Mulberries on the attack of the palate with some bitter dark cocoa, gritty mouthfeel and a finish of tobacco. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2038.
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4/6/2018 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 92 Points
The nose was dark with peppery floral tones up front, followed by savory herbs, dark red fruits, and dusty minerals. On the palate, I found soft, enveloping textures with red and blue fruits, inner florals and herbs as brisk acidity added balance and fine tannin settled on the senses. It finished long, spicy and structured with tart cherry and an herbal twang.
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