Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews. Learn more.
Manage Subscriptions
Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Red
2005 Larkmead Vineyards Firebelle
Red Bordeaux Blend
- USA
- California
- Napa Valley
Label borrowed from 2006
Label borrowed from 2004
Label borrowed from 2007
Label borrowed from 2007
Label borrowed from 2007
Label borrowed from 2007
Label borrowed from 2007
Label borrowed from 2003
Label borrowed from 2003
Label borrowed from 2008
Label borrowed from 2009
Label borrowed from 2009
Label borrowed from 2009
Label borrowed from 2009
Label borrowed from 2010
Label borrowed from 2010
Label borrowed from 2010
Label borrowed from 2010
Label borrowed from 2010
Label borrowed from 2010
Label borrowed from 2011
Community Tasting Notes 55
-
eags25fla wrote: 90 points
November 19, 2017 - Dark fruit, black currant, cassis black cherry, tobacco, oak, vanilla and a touch of spice. Tannins are silky soft, creamy texture with a long finish. Right out of the bottle, there is some over extracted fruit on the finish but with 30 mins in the decanter, the finish comes together and the fruit integrates nicely.
-
Lobonick Likes this wine: 91 points
September 5, 2015 - A really nice and beautiful wine. It's moving into a phase of having a lot of tertiary flavors without losing the fruit or the texture that make this a Napa Cab. There is a richness and complexity that I love.
1 person found this helpful Comment -
domco wrote:
January 28, 2015 - Feels to me if you own this you have some decisions to make here. While still absolutely delicious, there is some bricking around the edges, the fruit is starting to fade ever so slightly, and some more savory characteristics are starting to come through. For me, this is probably peaking now, or perhaps peaked in the last year, for what I look for and will likely target other Firebelle's in that 7-10 yr old range for drinking.
-
Barry Notes Likes this wine: 92 points
January 28, 2015 - PnP, 5 hour decant, returned to bottle and 30 min in glass. Clear, very minor fine sediment. Med purple, little/no brown edge. Similar to earlier note. More developed than 3 years ago, big/proper nose, integrated, not too ripe, decent acid. Drinking mature now, should hold for a few years yet. More of the big power side, nice long finish, fairly clean, rounded, resolved tannins for the most part. Last bottle, wish I had more.
-
Tim Heaton wrote:
January 28, 2015 - Very much in the valley floor fruit vein, but good purity and adequate structure to keep this drinking well with just an hour of air. Open-knit, ripe style buttressed by avg acidity and ripe, nearly chewy, sweet tannins. The nose is chock full of creamy cassis, toast and cigar box notes, while the palate, which skews sweet but never quite gets there, is enjoyable, if not terribly interesting. More power and enjoyment than the palate. 48% Merlot, 40% CabSauv, 9% CabFranc, 3% Petit Verdot. The 14,7% is not quite fully resolved. If you like ripe, but semi-structured and well-blended NV fruit, this is your wine. Drink now and for the next 3-4 years.
Aerated to decanter and returned to bottle; served non-blind 3 hours later.1 person found this helpful Comment
1 - 5 of 55
More notes
Pro Reviews 2
Add a Pro ReviewVinous
-
By Stephen Tanzer
May/June 2008, IWC Issue #138 (link)(Larkmead Firebelle Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text.
Garagiste
-
By Jon Rimmerman
1/22/2008 (link)(Firebelle LARKMEAD) Larkmead Dear Friends, Last week’s Meadowlark offer spurred a number of requests for more Larkmead, so here you go. I can’t make any representation as to the prices below - I have no idea what others are selling this stuff for but I’m sure our prices are decent (and these are directly from their cellar - they will never sit on a retailer shelf or other). You can check Larkmead’s web site for info/pricing. What I do know is that these are lovely efforts from a choice piece of property just to the south of Calistoga and they are quite un-Napa-like in their restraint and style. These are about feminine expression and varietal purity (if that is possible in Napa) and not in your face bruising tannin and alcohol. Don’t worry everyone, we’re not going to start offering California wines as some sort of epiphany but these are quite worth your attention and they actually represent value for Napa... 2005 Larkmead Firebelle (Napa Valley/100% Larkmead Estate) limit 12/person 2005 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon Estate limit 12/person (This is the same vineyard source material as the 2005 Ramey Larkmead Vineyard - I think Tanzer gave that wine 92-95 or 93-96?) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA CA2190 CA2180
Wine Definition
- Vintage 2005
- Type Red
- Producer Larkmead Vineyards
- Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
- Designation Firebelle
- Vineyard n/a
- Country USA
- Region California
- SubRegion Napa Valley
- Appellation Napa Valley
- UPC Code 897861000177
Community Holdings
- Pending Delivery 1 (0%)
- In Cellars 335 (44%)
- Consumed 431 (56%)
Food Pairing
No food pairings available.
Who Likes This Wine
100% Like It 9 votes
More About This Wine
Articles
- Wine2005 Larkmead Vineyards Firebelle
- ProducerLarkmead Vineyards
- VarietyRed Bordeaux Blend
- CountryUSA
- RegionCalifornia
- SubRegionNapa Valley
- AppellationNapa Valley
Add Articles
- Wine2005 Larkmead Vineyards Firebelle
- FamilyLarkmead Vineyards Firebelle (add)
- ProducerLarkmead Vineyards
- VarietalRed Bordeaux Blend
- DesignationFirebelle (add)
- CountryUSA
- RegionCalifornia
- SubRegionNapa Valley
- AppellationNapa Valley