Larkmead, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

At first, this seemed a little underpowered, but it filled out as it aerated, and the result was a Bordeaux-style wine, more spicy than fruity, with the tannins mostly integrated, but still at the beginning of the peak drinking window. More elegance than heft.

2014 vintage

Classic cab. Good tannins. Opened up nicely after 1hr 30min

2014 vintage

Dark purple. Cherry, plum, spices, oak and chocolate. Medium finish and a great showing.

2004 vintage

A bit boozey, but mellow from the merlot

2014 vintage

Pleasant solid great example of Napa floor wines.

2014 vintage

Decanted 30 mins and paired with Mariposa Ranch boneless ribeye with broccolini in fresh garlic, smashed potatoes, sliced tomatoes. At a lovely spot: both red and black fruits, some wood/tobacco/chocolate, spice, and resolved tannins. Lacking somewhat in depth and complexity, but very pleasant.

2002 vintage

Purple to ruby at the rim. Lots of black fruits up front. Drying tannins across the palate to a short finish. Second bottle in two days. Yesterday was much better

2014 vintage

This wine has more of the "aged" look in the glass than I expected. Aside from the appearance this wine is drinking great. Definitely benefits from a long decant.

2014 vintage

Decanted for four hours, served with grilled Prime NY Strip. Hard to go wrong with this wine and that pairing; delicious juice.

2014 vintage

Excellent! Great fruit, still has good structure, low acidity. Fruit was forward -- livelier than expected for a 10 year wine.

2014 vintage

Probably past it's prime. Drink remaining bottle soon. Rather one dimensional, lots of nice fruit, but overall uninspiring, no complexity.

2014 vintage

As a previous reviewed noted, it is at its peaks or slightly past. Fruit is fading fast but the tannins are hitting their stride.

2014 vintage

Brought to dinner last night at Lazy Betty’s—no liquor license yet in their new location means no corkage fee! Hooray!! We brought the ‘14 Larkmead and a ‘96 Comtesse Pichon Lalonde. Turned out ti be a great match with our multicourse meal. Double decanted at home and then put into a decanter as soon as we arrived at the restaurant. This was ready to go. Ripe red fruits, sweet cherries. Restrained more acidic style, definitely not a Napa fruit bomb. …

2014 vintage

This wine is in its zone. Drinking great right out of the bottle. May have a little life left, but I am not sure why you would wait. Certainly no more upside. Enjoy

2014 vintage

Well balanced, apricot and ginger, long finish

2014 vintage

Decanted for 90 minutes. Continued to open for another 20-30. Medium bodied with lots of red fruit and moderate plus tannins. Long finish. Paired beautifully with a roasted beef tenderloin.

2014 vintage

We are a pop-n-pour household and found this one to be really nice right out of the gate. Yes, it did open a bit with our second glasses, but was enjoyable from the start. Any wine that has my wife saying, “This one is really good!” is a winner in my book!

2014 vintage

Two hour decant in glass. Inky purple w/ dark garnet edge in color. Pungent nose of blackberries, red currant, vanilla and loam. There is some alcoholic heat perceptible...burned off after another ~2 hours and wasn't prominent / distracting to begin with. On the palate: an absolute explosion of blackberry compote; followed by granite and baking spices. Rustic tannins are well integrated, perceived on gums. Long finish of blackberry, sandalwood and granite. Wine was immensely enjoyable, but I think there are …

2014 vintage

Tried as a PNP thru an aerator. Pure mocha and vanilla, would have thought it was an 18 or 19 at best. Day 2 was a completely different story, plush and full of dark/red fruit. Nose was a bit muted but a real joy to drink. Give these a couple hour decant before enjoying

2014 vintage

A beutiful medium bodied wine. Nose of leather and earth elements with some dark fruit. Flavors are rich with ripe plums and black raspberry and a finish of layered soft tannins of dark fruit, cassis and chocalate. A beautiful wine!!

2014 vintage

Popped and poured at a restaurant; decanted. Took 45 minutes to open up: excellent when it did. Paired very well with a grilled NY strip, but would ideally have been open for a couple of hours before the meal.

2014 vintage

Ripe black cherry and oak on the nose. Powerful, thick palate of purple fruits with thyme, brown sugar, vanilla cream, and waxy oak. Fat tannins start the finish but don't develop much, adding dark raspberries, and oak but lacking any focus.

2014 vintage

Slight cork taint. Not enough to toss out the bottle, but it did not dissipate after a two hour decant and aggressive swirling.

2014 vintage

Decanted for about an hour, very nice when we started to drink, but went downhill after another hour. Maybe best as a PNP or with a short decant if being poured for a group.

2014 vintage

Cassis, cocoa, and cloves on the nose. Blackberry and spices on the palate. Medium finish. Certainly a nice wine, but perhaps not excellent value for money (especially when compared to the firebelle, which I find to have significantly more interest).

2014 vintage

How sweet when you wait, and wait, and it worked! Not sure this can get any better, but it’s drinking very well now, with a bit of Napa sweet chocolate, leather and black and dark fruits. Great viscous feel, lengthy finish. Evolved beautifully. Clearly my prior predictions were short sighted, or I was lucky here. Anyhow, now, for sure, drinking great now and who knows what’s to come

2002 vintage

Fully mature Napa cab, with soft tannins, mature fruit and long, long finish. Dark fruits, medium to full bodied, with acids fading nicely along the fruit. Astringent enough to balance the slight sweetness from the secondary characteristics, but the finish is ever so slightly sour. Nose to match, but at first closed. 1 hr in a decanter and it's opening up in a lovely way.

2004 vintage

Decanted for an hour and enjoyed over next several. The wine improved throughout the night. It was pretty tight most of the time. I’ll probably hold on drinking more for a couple of years.

2014 vintage

Very nice floral aromas. The wine is a deep dark red almost inky leading to a translucent edge. There are flavors of dark fruit, blackberry and cassis. The tannins are tight and need some time to open up. Definitely worth a decant. The wine paired perfectly with a wood-fired ribeye. Medium+ finish.

2014 vintage

Evolving Napa Cabernet 2002 Larkmead ($40 in 2006). Mid-brick, amber edges, viscous (14.7 alc.); big berry nose, ripe grapes, tobacco, cedar; mid-big body; softening tannins; emerging Cabernet fruit; long layered finish. w/flat iron steak. 17 UC Davis scale, 92 other scales.

2002 vintage

Casual flight and mix dinner; 10/9/2020-10/10/2020 (Home) : NOT blind: Unfortunately this bottle was corked. Medium tannins

2004 vintage

Still young for a 16-year old wine. Not terribly oxidized, and the cork was in excellent condition. Color was slightly brown, as to be expected for a wine of this age. Some dark cherry, cola, and root beer. Very concentrated and bold. Not much of a New World style fan but being what it is I enjoyed it.

2004 vintage

Same notes as last time

2004 vintage

Orange to slightly brown at the rim. Black fruit but subdued. More wine than fruit. Minerals across the pallet to a medium long finish. Drink up over the next year

2004 vintage

Corked.

2004 vintage

Purple in the center to a bricking rim. Black fruits and minerals. Tons of fruit still left. Smooth with little tannins left and a long long finish Drink now or over the next year

2002 vintage

A real wow...no bricking,beautiful fruit...amazing !

2002 vintage

Quite amazing considering the $30 price point circa 2005, this wine is from a long lost era when Larkmead was stunningly undervalued. An intricate bouquet of plum brandy, creme de cassis, pencil shavings, pure cacao, and lavender oil. The palate is so well balanced with a still firmly structured style including rich dark fruit, sturdy yet approachable tannins, and vine ripened acidity. Remarkably youthful, this seems to have a human like aging curve as it is just entering into adulthood, …

2002 vintage

Last of 3 bottles. Good depth and balance. Drinking beautifully. 1st bottle in 2014 seemed a bit thin. 2nd bottle in 2016 showed much better depth. The last bottle was the best with fully mature fruit. Wish I had a couple more bottles to taste to see how the wine evolves.

2002 vintage

Ripe fruit, plums, tobacco, leather, and dark cassis notes on the nose. Quite sweet and rich on the palate with flavors of sweet plum, dark berries and lots of fruit. Medium tannins. Medium finish. Not bad, but disappointing, especially considering the price we paid at the winery. Too bad I have another bottle. Wife: 90

2002 vintage

Some orange at the rim. Big upfront fruit that carries across the palate to medium to long finish Notes of red fruits enough acidity to keep the wine lively throughout Still lots of life left. Will try to hold off the rest of my bottles for another 6 months and try again

2004 vintage

Popped and slow ox'd for around 2 hours. Still very youthful with a mix of dark red berry fruits along with some cassis and black currant and cedar cigar box on the nose. Similar flavors on the palate with lively acidity and nicely integrated tannins. Smooth mouthfeel and finish. In a really nice spot but plenty of life ahead.

2004 vintage

Rich, ripe fruit with adequate sweetness. Tannins have softened considerably, and not much acid. Surprisingly pleasant and fruity at 16 years. Well liked by the tasting group. Definitely not out of its drinking window yet.

2002 vintage

Somewhat sharp tasting, slightly disappointing. Still within its drinking window. Tannins still there albeit softened. Reasonable fruit, not intense. IIRC this same wine, when tasted a several years ago, was similar - a bit too sharp for the fruit and other elements.

2002 vintage

N6 PnP F6 B6 Not as full bodied as I normally expect with Larkmead. Maybe it has passed its prime?

2004 vintage

Deep ruby red. A bit restrained on the nose with baking spices, red berries and a little savory. Moderate tannins (7/10) and medium plus to full bodied. Layered palate with some dark spices and red berries. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2021.

2004 vintage

Remarkably youthful:. Decanted for 30 minutes. A huge wine. Bright clear color with not a hint of bricking. Fresh nose of red fruits with some moist leaves and a hint of honey. First sips were bursts of raspberries and currants. Few of the leather notes that others have found in this bottle. Decided to try the second half tomorrow. My only bottle but I suspect that this one easily has 10 more years of life.

2004 vintage

Orange at the rim still some cherry in the middle Beginning to show its age but big full bodied and smooth lucious with many competing flavors but chocolate being the one that wins out The best of the year for me so far have one bottle left and will be drinking it this year

2002 vintage

Very dark red color, no bricking. PNP, split bottle over 3 hours with nice porterhouse at home. Amazing tobacco infused nose, fresh cigar, dark red berries, tar, and hints of brambly mountain berries and boysenberry. The palate has a gand texture, woven minerality, medium plus body, cherry, cassis, tobacco, cigar, black pepper, and wood spice on a ling finish. This drinks beautifully now and has the stuffing to go another 10(+) years without a thought. I'd been anticipating this bottle …

2004 vintage

This wine is drinking perfectly right now. Soft, round and lush, the tannins are silky. Tons of fruit, with a big black cherry bomb in the middle. So enjoyable, I look forward to drinking more of this. So delicious, everything I look for in a Cali Cab. So well made and in perfect balance.

2004 vintage

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Larkmead, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

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