2007 Larkmead Vineyards Firebelle

Community Tasting Notes (100) Avg Score: 92.4 points

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  11/29/2023 - Tarpon222 wrote: 90 Points

  Drink up and enjoy NOW

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  10/13/2023 - Somm David T wrote: 94 Points

  Bought this recently at the Benchmark Bin Sale for $45. I’m unsure of its storage. But based on the bottle, cork, what’s in the glass…over delivering for $45. Decanted 2 hours. Having said that, the wine is sound. However, the wine appears cloudy…in the glass it visually almost seems a bit broken down. Seems earlier than I’d expect for an 07. Still delicious. Elegance, floral, balanced fruit & earth. Might have been better in proper storage. Think this bottle in good storage would hold another 3-5 yrs and then fade rather quickly.
  
  The ripe, juicy, floral fruits are; blackberries, black raspberries, both plums but more plum, dark cherries, strawberries, boysenberries, raspberries, mixed mid berry cola/licorice, anise, almost sweet, dark, rich soil with dry leaves, dry herbaceousiness-sage, bay leaf, hints of thyme, semi-dry tobacco, sandalwood leaning into cedar, mid intensity dark spice-box, wafting nutmeg, cinnamon, vanillin, sandstone, steeped tea, touch of raisins, fig & dates, grilled meats, just a touch with of black pepper, dry brush, dry top soil, limestone marl, withering; dark, purple flowers framed in violets with a touch of lavender, excellent acidity with excellent integration & evolution, tall structure, well balanced fruit & earth with a long finish that last minutes falling onto dry, volcanic minerals.
  
  96% Cabernet, 3% Merlot, 1% Cab Franc.

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  5/27/2023 - SMHalps wrote: 90 Points

  Part of an odds and ends event for my wine group. All the wines were opened, but not decanted for at least 45 minutes before serving. I keep finding more bottles of this vintage in my cellar! This should be the last of them. Sadly, notes of stewed fruit cost this wine some points. Still very good, and some of my group had it as their favorite, but for me it was 4th in a 4 horse race. The Merlot made it very approachable, but the longer it sat int the glass the more downhill it went.

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  9/18/2022 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 93 Points

  I thought I had finished all my 2007 Firebelles, but found this hiding in my cellar. Still drinking very well! I shared this with my wine group as part of a Napa tasting at steakhouse. We had, in order, 2007 Larkmead Firebelle, 2009 Larkmead Vineyards LMV Salon, 2010 Beau Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Romeo, and the 2012 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder. We all enjoyed the Firebelle, as a group we had it in 3rd place, just a bit behind the O'Shaughnessy and the LMV Salon.

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  4/16/2022 - sdahar Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Excellent sophisticated tannins and balancing fruit with multiple levels of flavor. As other have written at peak but no rush.

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