2010 Firebelle

According to winemaker Andy Smith, the one really good thing here in 2011 was the estate's cabernet sauvignon; Larkmead sold off 30% of its wine in bulk. There will not be separate LMV Salon or Solari bottlings from 2011. The sauvignon blanc was barely two tons per acre due to rain during flowering, and the merlot crop was quite small too. The harvest took place over a very compact 17 days. Although Smith says that there are many "electric" chardonnays in Sonoma, the June rains there also resulted in thinner skins and lower phenolics. He has no reservations about 2010, which he described as "the best vintage across the board since I started in Napa Valley 15 years ago. I like herbs and savory complexity and freshness in my Bordeaux varieties, tobacco leaf and menthol." He went on: "The wines come across as dry because they're not plush and billowy. There's not a lot of California sunshine sweetness sitting over the wines. But I have a European perspective." Smith noted that the '10s were all rather herbaceous during their first year in barrel, but are now showing more complex tobacco and menthol character. The 2010 harvest of the red varieties at Larkmead was the latest ever, and the wines will need patience.

I was completely blown away by Larkmead this year. The 2010s are simply phenomenal across the board. This is also a vintage in which the different terroirs Larkmead works with are vividly marked. While many wineries are aggressively pushing the boundaries of pricing, Larkmead takes the opposite approach. The fashionable cult-loving crowd might look past these offerings, but savvy readers will recognize that Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignons in particular are some of the very best wines being made in Napa Valley today. If forced to choose one top-flight Napa Valley producer that remains under the radar, Larkmead would get my vote. These are spectacular wines that deserve a much broader audience. I can't say enough good things about what proprietor Cam Baker, winemaker Andy Smith and the entire team at Larkmead are doing at this historic property.