Larkmead Vineyards Solari 2021
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96
Jeb Dunnuck
The flagship 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari comes from older vines and is raised primarily in new barrels. It’s notably darker hued compared to the classic Cabernet Sauvignon release and has a darker profile of ripe blackcurrants, red plums, leather, savory herbs, and scorched earth. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that shows the more restrained, focused style of the estate, with good concentration, ripe tannins, and outstanding length, along with a kiss of salinity on the finish. There’s not much baby fat, but it has beautiful mid-palate depth, ripe, polished, building tannins, integrated acidity, and I think it’s going to age beautifully. Hide bottles for 4-6 years, and it’s going to evolve gracefully through 2046.
This distinctive and sophisticated 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is attractive, delicious and built to age. Aromas of freshly roasted coffee cascade into flavors of violet and sweet plum sprinkled with spiced cocoa. The tannins are persistent and velvety carrying into a long finish. Well done.
Lifted and bright, revealing crunchy red-skinned fruit aromatics intermixed with purple florals, cedarwood and a subtle spearmint pop. Beautifully plump fruit introduces a medium-bodied red and possesses an absolute purity of fruit flavours that run from raspberry and cherry to pomegranate and spiced plums interlaced with brown baking spices such as cardamon and nuanced by sandalwood notes. The tannins are substantial, taut, mineral-laced, and well-integrated at this early stage. They have a commanding presence and, with some air, can be enjoyed now, but this wine has the bones to cellar for decades. This is a selection of the older vines on the property. Blended in April and bottled in August of 2023
The 2021 Solari is the first vintage that has now been reimagined as a selection of the best lots in the cellar. Dark cherry, plum, espresso, menthol, licorice and cloves are build in a statuesque, deep Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon. This is very promising, but it will need time.
Larkmead’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari (Black Label) is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from mostly older vines. Black cherries, licorice, spice box and mocha scents all emerge on the nose, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that’s dense and concentrated, with a long, velvety-tannic finish. It should drink well for up to two decades.
Perfumed and seductive, with a mix of steeped black cherry, raspberry and red currant coulis flavors infused with black tea, singed sandalwood and warm earth through the finish. Offers a nice fleshy edge, though this remains reserved and silky overall. Drink now through 2038. 1,202 cases made.
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Larkmead Vineyards Solari 2022
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95
Jeb Dunnuck
All varietal aged 22 months in 81% new barrels, the flagship 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari is deeper ruby/plum-hued and reveals a spice, savory perfume of red and black currants, leather, dried herbs, and graphite. A quintessential Calistoga Cabernet, it’s medium to full-bodied, has nicely integrated oak, ripe, polished yet building tannins, and a great finish. This spicy, complex, nuanced beauty reminds me of a great Margaux. It should have 15+ years of prime drinking.
Deep aromas of dark cherries, blackcurrants, bitter chocolate, leather and black olives. The palate is full-bodied with a rounded mouthfeel and finely integrated tannins. This is the most polished release from Larkmead in the 2022 vintage, with some lovely freshness and tension underneath the ripe fruit. Drink or hold.
Arguably the flagship of Larkmead red wines, the Solari offers layers of detail, refinement, poise, and pleasing structural tension. Dark fruits clothed in spiced tobacco and an alluring earthiness wash through the mouth on melting tannins and a juicy, long finish.
Delicate herbal notes—think dried thyme and possibly sage—accent the red and black cherries found on the nose of Larkmead’s 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari (Black Label), a selection of mainly older vines from the property. In this case, the fruit handles the new oak beautifully, blending subtle hints of mocha seamlessly into the bouquet. It’s full-bodied, round and expansive on the palate, framed by supple, silky tannins and leading into a lingering finish tinged with French roast.
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