
Technical Details
Blend | 75% Merlot & 25% Cabernet Sauvignon |
Winemaker | Dan Petroski |
Country | US |
Region | California North Coast |
Sub-Region | Napa Valley |
Appellation | Napa Valley |
Aging/Cooperage | 20 months in 20% new French oak |
Alcohol | 14.7 |
Larkmead Proprietary Red Firebelle 2018
Proprietary Blends | US
$99.95
Seriously, we could not stop drinking this when the winery offered to leave the bottle -- it’s just...fabulous is the best word. So harmonious, lush, yet precise, finely tuned, and irresistibly drinkable. This legendary property has been making great wines for years, but MAN! This ‘18 is next-level!
At the center of Larkmead’s genius is the remarkable diversity of soils that are more typical of a hillside than the valley floor. Centuries of alluvial flow have resulted in the accumulation of ancient riverbed gravel, clay, and loam. Located just north of St. Helena, the winery first began in 1895, and is still family-owned today by Cam and Kate Solari Baker.
Then there’s Dan Petroski -- Google him -- a master winemaker and one of the coolest, mellowest, wine-loving guys we know, who makes incredibly fine wines from the vineyard, along with his own label, Massican. Suckling’s writeup does do the wine justice, we have to say. As noted, it’s the balance and harmony here that work so beautifully.
We have a very fine price and HIGHLY recommend this one --- only 15 CASES!
PAIRING IDEAS: There’s so much nuance here...we’d go simple, and definitely something with cheese, to make the wine shine even brighter. Make a world-class batch of mac and cheese. Seriously. Have a salad on the side.
MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: The Beatles' “Revolver” -- front to back. So good.
Technical Details
Blend | 75% Merlot & 25% Cabernet Sauvignon |
Winemaker | Dan Petroski |
Country | US |
Region | California North Coast |
Sub-Region | Napa Valley |
Appellation | Napa Valley |
Aging/Cooperage | 20 months in 20% new French oak |
Alcohol | 14.7% |
About The Producer
Reviews
James Suckling
Lovely aromas of tile, blackberries and plums with some lavender and violets, following through to a full body with chewy, round tannins that are layered into the pretty, not overly ripe fruit. Boisterous nature to this, but it will calm down with age. 75% merlot and 25%. Drink after 2024, but already a beauty.
Wine Enthusiast
To be released in October 2021
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