Last of 4 bottles. Most recently tasted 4 yrs ago. This is lovely, gorgeous, a regal Napa Valley Bordeaux blend. Showing some sweetness on the black and blue fruits, alongside anise, coffee grounds, and sage. This is beautifully Napa, drink now through 2025+.
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Wow - restores my confidence in Napa wines. Beautifully balanced, well integrated silky tennis and soft seductive fruit. Nose of expresso, chocolate, black fruit, cherry and eucalyptus and spice. Harmonius from start to the long finish.Lush fruit all in balance to start leading to more hedonistic tones and finishes on point w. sweet tooth tennis to bring it all together
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Color: dark ruby with a hint of brick Nose: pure and clean right off the bat. Red fruit, ripe. dry apricot and raisin hints. Cedar. Macadamia nuts. Green bellpepper Palate: slightly sweet, tannins are present and integrated, medium. Medium acidity. Mature. Palate has cedar and red fruit Finish: medium
Mature bordeaux blend from Napa, left bank style this time. More fruit, sweet, and general pomp vs france, less mineral. I guess this is on the downslope, after 1h it went mute. Still, very lovely wine
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First off this wine is ready to drink now. As others have noted the cork crumbled during removal. Opened 60 minutes before serving. There was a bit of a split decision on this wine. I felt that while the tannins were perfectly integrated it was drinking a bit hot because of the muted fruit - 92 pt. My son raved about the balance and said that this is exactly what you want in a California cab and gave it 94 pt.
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Same review as in 2017. Quite lovely. Showing none of the typical signs of falling off, but also no reason to wait on drinking last bottle in our cellar.
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The cork split and crumbled despite looking good without any sign of leaks around the cork. No obvious corked aroma. Ripe, not overripe, blue and black fruit like plum, blackberry, blueberry. With aeration, black licorice candy fills out the sphere of flavors and aromas. Slightly dusty tannins.
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Pretty consistent with 2017 post, but I am beginning to ask how much longer to wait before enjoying the last two bottles in our cellar. Well done, Larkmead.
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Drank this at my birthday dinner at Kincaid Grill. Hat the filet. PnP and drank over an hour. Probably would have been best to open a few hours before drinking. Dark fruit, earth, chocolate, licorice. Excellent balance. Enough tannin to go 5 more years. Drink or hold.
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Lovely Cali bordeaux blend, in the reserve version from Larkmead. A touch tight on opening, but very quickly opened up, just by pouring through a venturi. Such a nice sense of place from both the bouquet and the taste. I get the valley floor outside St. Helena. Tannins quite in check, blue fruits out front, and plenty of savory spices lingering around. In a word: elegant. BTW no reason to rush on our the remaining bottles in our cellar (Larkmead really builds them for aging).
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A rich and soft Cabernet blend that should be drunk now. Red brick in color, medium in body, nose of prune and baking spices. Tastes of plum, blueberry, coffee, milk chocolate, and graphite, with a sweet finish that conceals dusty tannins. This seems a bit past its prime, so I would drink now. 14.8% alcohol. Blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, 11% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot. Maybe this was an off-bottle, but this was the lowest scoring LMV I've tasted in the past year or two. This was silky, to be sure, but it wasn't as complex or graceful as others I've had over the last year or two (including the 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2012, each of which was close to profound).
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January Wine Group Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn): The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. Black currant (cassis), raspberry, dust, coffee and cedar on the nose and they transfer to the palate as it tastes like black currant (cassis), raspberry, dust, coffee, cedar and black pepper. The body is full. The wine has a very polished texture and finishes long. The wine has medium-low acidity.
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Opened to celebrate an early Christmas with my parents. Lots of dark red fruits and notes of coffee. Continued to open and improve over the course of a two-hour meal. This has years of good drinking ahead.
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Opened two hours early but it was excellent right when opened and the air time didn't add anything more, maybe just softened it a little. It's an excellent, smooth blend, right in its prime time window.
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Opened up and let breathe for 2 hours. A nose of cassis, cherry and tobacco leaf which lead way to a full bodied authoritative palate that is ripe black cherry and mineral driven with a sweetness that lingers.
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Slow ox'd for 3 hours, then decanted and enjoyed over 3 more hours. No formal TN, but a really delicious, full bodied Napa wine. Regal, with great balance, nicely developing complexity, firm and bold structure with med+ tannins and med acidity. Drinking well now through 2023+.
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Popped cork, drank 1-4 hrs after. Dark purple, aromas and palate of herbs,hints of coffee. Full body, ripe, rich, some dusty notes in the mid palate, and a little heat. Very nice wine.
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Decanted 7 hours prior to consuming. A beautifully constructed wine with very sleek tannins and sufficient acid. Graphite and a touch of tar play off perfectly against blue to dark fruit yielding a bordeaux-like impression. Mouthcoating and polished, it is a serious wine demanding one's attention and quite deservedly so.
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Good thing I decanted this. On opening, it was rather cough syrupy -- powerful and complex but blasting unfocused aroma, and cloying and hotly alcoholic on the palate. I poured all but a couple of ounces into a decanter and let it sit for 90 minutes. Then poured back into the bottle for a 30+ minute trip to restaurant. Upon reopening, the blasting bouquet had been replaced by a beautiful, harmonious one, and much of the heat on the tongue was gone. Still teeth coating/staining, but beautifully balanced from the top of the rim to the bottom. This is one luscious, hedonistic wine. Even toward the bottom of the bottle it wasn't as delicate as I'd thought it would be. If it has more finesse I would be scoring 95+. As it is, great experience.
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Perhaps the most elegant Napa Cab I have ever had. Dark ruby red. Somewhat reserved on the nose with notes of graphite, blackberry, cherry, cranberry and leather. Medium body and very, very smooth tannins. Medium alcohol. Medium flavor intensity with notes of cranberry, black cherry, vanilla, and blackberry. Very nice balance! The finish could be a bit longer, but it lingers, in a subtle way.
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Deep, dark, plum-like fruit with strong notes of cassis, currant and licorice. Complex and structured but needs at least an hour to decant to fully enjoy all the subtle flavors. Delicious new world Bordeaux blend.
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Such a big, seductive wine. This had a rich nose of cassis, with graphite and a hint of eucalyptus. The tannin and fruit were both huge but in balance. Best with a well-marbled steak, or on its own.
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Decanted for 10 hours. Lots of depth, black cherry with plum. This wine is still a baby and will benefit from more cellar time, but still very enjoyable.
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Rich, delicious, full-bodied black cherry fruit with cassis, plum, wet soil,, and currant flavors, excellent structure, short finish, fruit is tight and restrained, complexity is yearning to emerge but is still suppressed
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Note after 48 hours. Cassis, plums and graphite on the nose. This lost some of the fruit on night 3 and is showing a bit hot. However, on the first night I recall this having a nice velvety mouth feel. Nice fruit and big tannins.
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Though 60% CAB, 20% cab franc and 10% merlot, this is a big wine that tastes all cab and must be one of the best bargains of 2006. Wish I had bought more than 3.
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Could still use some time, but rich fruit up front, but lovely complexity and structure leavens the finish so there's no heavy alcohols or cloying sweetness on the finish. Great balance to the wine.
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Can't say enough about how good this wine was or how good Larkmead wines are in general. This was a beautiful wine that was complex and multilayered in texture and taste.
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Cabernet Hedonism (Rob & Bev's place): Very dark purple in color, completely opaque. A nose showing soil-driven aromas upfront, leading into aromas of black cherry fruit. The palate shows a full bodied wine that is both fresh and lively, of course still very tightly wound at this point, with tart cherry fruit leading into a very nice finish, which will surely open up even more as it gains some bottle age. 92 pts.
This was was tasted 2 days later from this partially consumed bottle. 62% Cab Sauv, 14% Cab Franc, 11% Merlot, 11% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot. Aged in 70% new French oak. 14.8% alc. The Cab Franc is offering up those soil-driven aromas I initially sensed, adding some complexity. The wine is hotter on the nose today, covering up the beautiful scents that are otherwise in there. With enough swirling, I can get past the heat and pull out notes of mint, wet soil, deep black currant, and mild vanilla. This wine is so brilliant on the palate, with black cherry notes and mocha, and an astringency that dries the mouth, ready for another drink. Still so very tight, but as these tannins start to loosen their grip and the fruit is allowed to escape, my crystal ball tells me that this will turn into something very special. 93 points.
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Decanted for 1 hour and served with prime rib. This wine is amazing and ready for business. While the nose is subdued, you do find dark cherries and provence herbs on the nose. The flavor profile of this wine is where it's at though... again dark cherry, currant, chocolate, and herbs are what you get upfront. The wine, although young, is already displaying secondary notes of tobacco and leather, but I could be mistaking herbs for tobacco. The tannins in this wine also amaze as they are ripe, well integrated, but not too sweet. Again, this is a great bottle in a great place right now.
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Decanted for about 4 hours. The first thing that struck me on the nose was the cigar box smell. After swirling it was an amazing mix of red and black fruit, chocolate, and mix of spices. Still tannic but not unpleasant. Bold black fruit, amazing balance, spicy finish. This is truly exceptional. Will wait 5 years for the next one.
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Breathtaking bottle of cabernet, the aroma perfumed the room while decanting. Nose was deep and intense, with loads of graphite, cedar, and dark berry fruit. The wine was firm and tannic but decanting brought it around, just a huge attack, big cabernet flavors, and most notably a really long finish that just persisted. Elegance and power combined in quite a package. To me, this is classic Napa cabernet.
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Double decanted 4 hours before serving. Deep ruby red/purple color. Nose of tobacco, dark cherry and crushed stones. Palate consists of dark fruit, cassis, licorice. Great texture and balance. 45 second finish with just a touch of drying tannins. Already complex, this will be even better in 3-5 years. Beautiful wine.
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14.8% ABV. Popped and Poured. Semi-translucent dark garnet in the glass. Ripe currant, sweet oak, and a touch of liqueur on the nose with some mint and mocha notes emerging with a little sniffing. Plush, ripe and rich on the palate with mouth coating black currant fruit and some cedar notes. Nice.
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Dark, ruby red color. At this point, there is a lot of alcohol on the nose (14.8% on the label) which is overpowering everything else. This is a baby. The fruit is extremely concentrated now but there is some great red fruit followed by some coffee notes. The finish is extremely dry.
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Dark fruit aroma. It is no where near ready to drink as the fruit is very subdued, but under a lot of tannin. I suspect this will be well into the 90s in two or three years.
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I enjoyed this equally as well as the Firebelle, despite different compositions. Slight menthol right off the nose, olive tapenade, tobacco, and rich cassis. The palate is chocolatey, more so than the Firebelle, richer in structure with bigger tannins. The only downfall is the finish, on the hot side, alcoholic. Acids are average.
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LMV Salon takes all the greatness of their regular Cabernet but then adds layers of fine details in both the nose and the palate. The nose was full of black currant, coca dust, spice and potpourri. The palate was sensuous and full with a fine structure of tannin. Vibrant black cherry fruit that turns sweet on the mid-palate and a gorgeous long finish.
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Un assemblage de Carbernet Sauvignon (62%), Cabernet Franc (14%), Merlot, Malbec et Petit Verdot à part égale. Un vin très sérieux, à la puissance contenue parce qu’actuellement renfermé sur lui-même. On sent ce vin prêt à exploser dans 5-10 ans. La finale est très longue, sur une belle amertume chocolatée. Seulement disponible en mailing list, 800 caisses.
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Tasted at winery – deep ruby, clear. Gobs of red and black fruit on the nose with coffee beans and black currants at the forefront. The rich palate gives layers of red and black fruits with spice and earth. Medium to full body, high acidity and tannin with a long finish. This is a big wine. Approachable now, but I would lay this down for at least 7-10 years. Excellent. 92+
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11/6/2023 - Windacre in the Slope Likes this wine: 92 Points
Spicy eucalyptus nose, nice full body, a bit on the sweet side for me.
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2/9/2022 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent wine drunk with beef tenderloin, Dark fruit, good complexity. drink or hold.
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11/20/2021 - drrobvino wrote: 93 Points
Last of 4 bottles. Most recently tasted 4 yrs ago.
This is lovely, gorgeous, a regal Napa Valley Bordeaux blend.
Showing some sweetness on the black and blue fruits, alongside anise, coffee grounds, and sage.
This is beautifully Napa, drink now through 2025+.
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5/26/2021 - expres1038 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened an 90 min early. Drank great!
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5/8/2021 - eags25fla wrote: 95 Points
Wow - restores my confidence in Napa wines. Beautifully balanced, well integrated silky tennis and soft seductive fruit. Nose of expresso, chocolate, black fruit, cherry and eucalyptus and spice. Harmonius from start to the long finish.Lush fruit all in balance to start leading to more hedonistic tones and finishes on point w. sweet tooth tennis to bring it all together
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11/14/2020 - stet Likes this wine: 91 Points
Color: dark ruby with a hint of brick
Nose: pure and clean right off the bat. Red fruit, ripe. dry apricot and raisin hints. Cedar. Macadamia nuts. Green bellpepper
Palate: slightly sweet, tannins are present and integrated, medium. Medium acidity. Mature. Palate has cedar and red fruit
Finish: medium
Mature bordeaux blend from Napa, left bank style this time. More fruit, sweet, and general pomp vs france, less mineral. I guess this is on the downslope, after 1h it went mute. Still, very lovely wine
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5/30/2020 - sdahar Likes this wine: 93 Points
First off this wine is ready to drink now. As others have noted the cork crumbled during removal. Opened 60 minutes before serving. There was a bit of a split decision on this wine. I felt that while the tannins were perfectly integrated it was drinking a bit hot because of the muted fruit - 92 pt. My son raved about the balance and said that this is exactly what you want in a California cab and gave it 94 pt.
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5/23/2020 - kennyd Likes this wine: 97 Points
Same review as in 2017. Quite lovely. Showing none of the typical signs of falling off, but also no reason to wait on drinking last bottle in our cellar.
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12/22/2019 - Roentgen Ray Likes this wine: 92 Points
The cork split and crumbled despite looking good without any sign of leaks around the cork.
No obvious corked aroma.
Ripe, not overripe, blue and black fruit like plum, blackberry, blueberry.
With aeration, black licorice candy fills out the sphere of flavors and aromas.
Slightly dusty tannins.
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9/14/2019 - kennyd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pretty consistent with 2017 post, but I am beginning to ask how much longer to wait before enjoying the last two bottles in our cellar. Well done, Larkmead.
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1/31/2019 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank this at my birthday dinner at Kincaid Grill. Hat the filet. PnP and drank over an hour. Probably would have been best to open a few hours before drinking. Dark fruit, earth, chocolate, licorice. Excellent balance. Enough tannin to go 5 more years. Drink or hold.
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11/18/2018 - Winedude10 wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful wine, decanted about 45-60 minutes. Dark red, eucalyptus nose. Great fruit and balance, long finish. Wish I had more. Outstanding
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6/13/2018 - bonedoc wrote: 95 Points
Ditto last note - great wine
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5/25/2018 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 93 Points
Black fruit, blue fruit, charcoal, pepper, hints of eucalyptus, herbal notes. A-/A
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11/22/2017 - kennyd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely Cali bordeaux blend, in the reserve version from Larkmead. A touch tight on opening, but very quickly opened up, just by pouring through a venturi. Such a nice sense of place from both the bouquet and the taste. I get the valley floor outside St. Helena. Tannins quite in check, blue fruits out front, and plenty of savory spices lingering around. In a word: elegant. BTW no reason to rush on our the remaining bottles in our cellar (Larkmead really builds them for aging).
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11/20/2017 - drrobvino wrote: 93 Points
Drank over 3 days, no formal TN, but this wine was gorgeous and drinking well now through 2024+.
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5/11/2017 - Laguna Red wrote: 88 Points
Definitely over the hill. If you have some, drink up.
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2/4/2017 - msuwine wrote: 93 Points
A rich and soft Cabernet blend that should be drunk now. Red brick in color, medium in body, nose of prune and baking spices. Tastes of plum, blueberry, coffee, milk chocolate, and graphite, with a sweet finish that conceals dusty tannins. This seems a bit past its prime, so I would drink now. 14.8% alcohol. Blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, 11% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot. Maybe this was an off-bottle, but this was the lowest scoring LMV I've tasted in the past year or two. This was silky, to be sure, but it wasn't as complex or graceful as others I've had over the last year or two (including the 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2012, each of which was close to profound).
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1/18/2017 - Vinomarcus Likes this wine: 94 Points
January Wine Group Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn): The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. Black currant (cassis), raspberry, dust, coffee and cedar on the nose and they transfer to the palate as it tastes like black currant (cassis), raspberry, dust, coffee, cedar and black pepper. The body is full. The wine has a very polished texture and finishes long. The wine has medium-low acidity.
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12/18/2016 - EMTAME wrote: 93 Points
Opened to celebrate an early Christmas with my parents. Lots of dark red fruits and notes of coffee. Continued to open and improve over the course of a two-hour meal. This has years of good drinking ahead.
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5/23/2016 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very similar notes to before. Drinking great now, several years left. Very smooth, everything in balance.
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3/31/2016 - cabber wrote: 93 Points
Cabernet Tasting 2001 - 2007 (Manhattan Beach, CA): Very good, smooth, full bodied, soft tannins, thick
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11/15/2015 - Napacablover Likes this wine: 96 Points
Outstanding nose of dark black cherries and so smooth
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10/23/2015 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Previous tasting notes apply despite having drunk wine up to 3 years later
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5/22/2015 - Wineshington wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for four hours, still needs a bit of time.
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5/17/2015 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened two hours early but it was excellent right when opened and the air time didn't add anything more, maybe just softened it a little. It's an excellent, smooth blend, right in its prime time window.
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5/14/2015 - Donjcorleone Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened up and let breathe for 2 hours. A nose of cassis, cherry and tobacco leaf which lead way to a full bodied authoritative palate that is ripe black cherry and mineral driven with a sweetness that lingers.
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3/29/2015 - drrobvino wrote: 93 Points
Slow ox'd for 3 hours, then decanted and enjoyed over 3 more hours.
No formal TN, but a really delicious, full bodied Napa wine. Regal, with great balance, nicely developing complexity, firm and bold structure with med+ tannins and med acidity. Drinking well now through 2023+.
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2/21/2015 - bonedoc wrote: 94 Points
Popped cork, drank 1-4 hrs after. Dark purple, aromas and palate of herbs,hints of coffee. Full body, ripe, rich, some dusty notes in the mid palate, and a little heat. Very nice wine.
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12/1/2014 - jeagle wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 7 hours prior to consuming. A beautifully constructed wine with very sleek tannins and sufficient acid. Graphite and a touch of tar play off perfectly against blue to dark fruit yielding a bordeaux-like impression. Mouthcoating and polished, it is a serious wine demanding one's attention and quite deservedly so.
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11/2/2014 - Chip Merlot Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good thing I decanted this. On opening, it was rather cough syrupy -- powerful and complex but blasting unfocused aroma, and cloying and hotly alcoholic on the palate. I poured all but a couple of ounces into a decanter and let it sit for 90 minutes. Then poured back into the bottle for a 30+ minute trip to restaurant. Upon reopening, the blasting bouquet had been replaced by a beautiful, harmonious one, and much of the heat on the tongue was gone. Still teeth coating/staining, but beautifully balanced from the top of the rim to the bottom. This is one luscious, hedonistic wine. Even toward the bottom of the bottle it wasn't as delicate as I'd thought it would be. If it has more finesse I would be scoring 95+. As it is, great experience.
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8/3/2014 - Cutter wrote: 93 Points
Perhaps the most elegant Napa Cab I have ever had. Dark ruby red. Somewhat reserved on the nose with notes of graphite, blackberry, cherry, cranberry and leather. Medium body and very, very smooth tannins. Medium alcohol. Medium flavor intensity with notes of cranberry, black cherry, vanilla, and blackberry. Very nice balance! The finish could be a bit longer, but it lingers, in a subtle way.
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1/1/2014 - Htama wrote:
Very well balanced. Definitely at its prime.
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10/13/2013 - AMM3RD wrote:
Drinking great right now
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8/18/2013 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep, dark, plum-like fruit with strong notes of cassis, currant and licorice. Complex and structured but needs at least an hour to decant to fully enjoy all the subtle flavors. Delicious new world Bordeaux blend.
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2/17/2013 - wirelesswine wrote: 95 Points
Such a big, seductive wine. This had a rich nose of cassis, with graphite and a hint of eucalyptus. The tannin and fruit were both huge but in balance. Best with a well-marbled steak, or on its own.
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2/14/2013 - ClubTerry Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 10 hours. Lots of depth, black cherry with plum. This wine is still a baby and will benefit from more cellar time, but still very enjoyable.
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11/17/2012 - sjdcellar wrote: 94 Points
very much liquer like, rich, creamy and hugely perfumed. a serious treat.
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10/7/2012 - ChicagoScot wrote: 90 Points
Excellent full vintage that opened up a full two hours.
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10/7/2012 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Rich, delicious, full-bodied black cherry fruit with cassis, plum, wet soil,, and currant flavors, excellent structure, short finish, fruit is tight and restrained, complexity is yearning to emerge but is still suppressed
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7/1/2012 - cookie7 wrote:
Note after 48 hours. Cassis, plums and graphite on the nose. This lost some of the fruit on night 3 and is showing a bit hot. However, on the first night I recall this having a nice velvety mouth feel. Nice fruit and big tannins.
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6/8/2012 - yellowbird Likes this wine: 95 Points
Though 60% CAB, 20% cab franc and 10% merlot, this is a big wine that tastes all cab and must be one of the best bargains of 2006. Wish I had bought more than 3.
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3/3/2012 - Bakek wrote: 93 Points
Could still use some time, but rich fruit up front, but lovely complexity and structure leavens the finish so there's no heavy alcohols or cloying sweetness on the finish. Great balance to the wine.
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2/25/2012 - emf Likes this wine:
Can't say enough about how good this wine was or how good Larkmead wines are in general. This was a beautiful wine that was complex and multilayered in texture and taste.
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1/13/2012 - drrobvino wrote: 93 Points
Cabernet Hedonism (Rob & Bev's place): Very dark purple in color, completely opaque. A nose showing soil-driven aromas upfront, leading into aromas of black cherry fruit. The palate shows a full bodied wine that is both fresh and lively, of course still very tightly wound at this point, with tart cherry fruit leading into a very nice finish, which will surely open up even more as it gains some bottle age. 92 pts.
This was was tasted 2 days later from this partially consumed bottle. 62% Cab Sauv, 14% Cab Franc, 11% Merlot, 11% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot. Aged in 70% new French oak. 14.8% alc. The Cab Franc is offering up those soil-driven aromas I initially sensed, adding some complexity. The wine is hotter on the nose today, covering up the beautiful scents that are otherwise in there. With enough swirling, I can get past the heat and pull out notes of mint, wet soil, deep black currant, and mild vanilla. This wine is so brilliant on the palate, with black cherry notes and mocha, and an astringency that dries the mouth, ready for another drink. Still so very tight, but as these tannins start to loosen their grip and the fruit is allowed to escape, my crystal ball tells me that this will turn into something very special. 93 points.
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1/1/2012 - psirah wrote:
Decanted for 1 hour and served with prime rib. This wine is amazing and ready for business. While the nose is subdued, you do find dark cherries and provence herbs on the nose. The flavor profile of this wine is where it's at though... again dark cherry, currant, chocolate, and herbs are what you get upfront. The wine, although young, is already displaying secondary notes of tobacco and leather, but I could be mistaking herbs for tobacco. The tannins in this wine also amaze as they are ripe, well integrated, but not too sweet. Again, this is a great bottle in a great place right now.
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12/11/2011 - emf Likes this wine:
Beautiful Larkmead blend with lots of cherry flavors. Long silky finish with well integrated tannins.
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8/31/2011 - cbkamp Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for about 4 hours. The first thing that struck me on the nose was the cigar box smell. After swirling it was an amazing mix of red and black fruit, chocolate, and mix of spices. Still tannic but not unpleasant. Bold black fruit, amazing balance, spicy finish. This is truly exceptional. Will wait 5 years for the next one.
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5/15/2011 - wirelesswine wrote: 95 Points
Breathtaking bottle of cabernet, the aroma perfumed the room while decanting. Nose was deep and intense, with loads of graphite, cedar, and dark berry fruit. The wine was firm and tannic but decanting brought it around, just a huge attack, big cabernet flavors, and most notably a really long finish that just persisted. Elegance and power combined in quite a package. To me, this is classic Napa cabernet.
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11/21/2010 - wdb001 wrote: 95 Points
Double decanted 4 hours before serving. Deep ruby red/purple color. Nose of tobacco, dark cherry and crushed stones. Palate consists of dark fruit, cassis, licorice. Great texture and balance. 45 second finish with just a touch of drying tannins. Already complex, this will be even better in 3-5 years. Beautiful wine.
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9/5/2010 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine: 94 Points
14.8% ABV. Popped and Poured. Semi-translucent dark garnet in the glass. Ripe currant, sweet oak, and a touch of liqueur on the nose with some mint and mocha notes emerging with a little sniffing. Plush, ripe and rich on the palate with mouth coating black currant fruit and some cedar notes. Nice.
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12/3/2009 - sterin wrote: 93 Points
Dark, ruby red color. At this point, there is a lot of alcohol on the nose (14.8% on the label) which is overpowering everything else. This is a baby. The fruit is extremely concentrated now but there is some great red fruit followed by some coffee notes. The finish is extremely dry.
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10/18/2009 - depdoc wrote: 89 Points
Dark fruit aroma. It is no where near ready to drink as the fruit is very subdued, but under a lot of tannin. I suspect this will be well into the 90s in two or three years.
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9/30/2009 - jjclips2 wrote: 91 Points
I enjoyed this equally as well as the Firebelle, despite different compositions. Slight menthol right off the nose, olive tapenade, tobacco, and rich cassis. The palate is chocolatey, more so than the Firebelle, richer in structure with bigger tannins. The only downfall is the finish, on the hot side, alcoholic. Acids are average.
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8/12/2009 - elamasters wrote: 92 Points
Very nice. Loads of cocoa and baking spices. Would benefit from several more years in the bottle.
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7/17/2009 - Eric Guido wrote: 92 Points
LMV Salon takes all the greatness of their regular Cabernet but then adds layers of fine details in both the nose and the palate. The nose was full of black currant, coca dust, spice and potpourri. The palate was sensuous and full with a fine structure of tannin. Vibrant black cherry fruit that turns sweet on the mid-palate and a gorgeous long finish.
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7/15/2009 - ludwigbpm wrote: 93 Points
Un assemblage de Carbernet Sauvignon (62%), Cabernet Franc (14%), Merlot, Malbec et Petit Verdot à part égale. Un vin très sérieux, à la puissance contenue parce qu’actuellement renfermé sur lui-même. On sent ce vin prêt à exploser dans 5-10 ans. La finale est très longue, sur une belle amertume chocolatée. Seulement disponible en mailing list, 800 caisses.
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3/20/2009 - godx wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at winery – deep ruby, clear. Gobs of red and black fruit on the nose with coffee beans and black currants at the forefront. The rich palate gives layers of red and black fruits with spice and earth. Medium to full body, high acidity and tannin with a long finish. This is a big wine. Approachable now, but I would lay this down for at least 7-10 years. Excellent. 92+
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