Wine Article
2009 Larkmead Vineyards Firebelle
Last edited on 2/21/2012 by meatman
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Winemaker: Andy Smith
Winemaker Notes
100% Estate grown fruit, produced and bottled at Larkmead Vineyards
53% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
5% Malbec & 3% Cabernet Franc
Aged for 17 months in 55% new French oak barrels
902 cases produced
"Very deep ruby red color. Wonderful aromatic intensity — floral violets, black cherry, blackcurrant, sweet thyme & cedar then complex secondary notes of soy and game. Lively exuberant palate entry then immediate density of blackberry and cassis fruit. Bold, rich and youthfully assertive but retains inner-mouth perfume and energetic brightness. Lingering chewy tannins on a flavor-packed finish.
Our 2009 Firebelle bottling is a wine of true character in the authentic Larkmead style. At this early release stage it's bound up in its youthful exuberance, drive and freshness. It needs some time to unfold, relax and open up. But it's a dynamic wine that really expands in the glass with some air offering that beautiful echoing Larkmead signature throughout. It's the product of a very low-yielding vine crop which means that it's packed full of natural vineyard density and structure, yet our wine making approach ensures that it retains plenty of brightness and energy. On first opening the wine's full of ripe sunshine-filled fruit but with time this mellows then recedes allowing the full complex vineyard character to emerge. Expect eight to ten years of developing complexity in bottle and decant for an hour in the first three years following release."
Winemaker Notes
100% Estate grown fruit, produced and bottled at Larkmead Vineyards
53% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
5% Malbec & 3% Cabernet Franc
Aged for 17 months in 55% new French oak barrels
902 cases produced
"Very deep ruby red color. Wonderful aromatic intensity — floral violets, black cherry, blackcurrant, sweet thyme & cedar then complex secondary notes of soy and game. Lively exuberant palate entry then immediate density of blackberry and cassis fruit. Bold, rich and youthfully assertive but retains inner-mouth perfume and energetic brightness. Lingering chewy tannins on a flavor-packed finish.
Our 2009 Firebelle bottling is a wine of true character in the authentic Larkmead style. At this early release stage it's bound up in its youthful exuberance, drive and freshness. It needs some time to unfold, relax and open up. But it's a dynamic wine that really expands in the glass with some air offering that beautiful echoing Larkmead signature throughout. It's the product of a very low-yielding vine crop which means that it's packed full of natural vineyard density and structure, yet our wine making approach ensures that it retains plenty of brightness and energy. On first opening the wine's full of ripe sunshine-filled fruit but with time this mellows then recedes allowing the full complex vineyard character to emerge. Expect eight to ten years of developing complexity in bottle and decant for an hour in the first three years following release."