2009 Larkmead - Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - USA - California - Napa - Napa Valley - Red

Huge viscous wine. Tons of fruit. Dark purple to the rim. Very young tasting. Needs 3 to 4 years to evolve before tasting again. Long finish with beautiful flavors and balance. Though very young may be the best Larkmead I have tasted.

Clear, Opaque, deep inky purple with minor rim variation. Clean, expressive aromas of cassis, loamy soil and vanilla with hints of chocolate. Dry, Full bodied, medium acid and full tannins on the very long finish. Jammy black currant courses throughout this huge fruit driven, almost candied estate cab with some hints of menthol and vanilla. To be sure there is some structure to be had on the back end. So much fruit exploding throughout this dense almost heavy, extracted cab. I think with some age it might settle down and the flavors will integrate a bit better....still very enjoyable if not decadent.

Production: 2,900 Cases Fruit: 100% Estate grown fruit, produced and bottled at Larkmead Vineyards Varietal Composition: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot & 8% Cabernet Franc Aging: Aged for 17 months in 60% new medium toast French oak barrels Cooperages: Tonnelleries Ermitage, Demptos & Sylvain Winemaker Notes "Deep ruby red. Ripe black fruits dominate the aroma - cassis, blackberry and dark cherry with floral violet, dark spicy soy and classic mint notes. Supple red fruits open the palate then a solid dense core of mixed black fruit and peripheral plum and kirsch flavors. With aeration the gravelly Larkmead character emerges competing for attention with further layers of chewy opulent dark fruit. Broad and densely-structured tannins provide grip and dimension to the back end. Nice fresh lift and persistency to the finish. Our new release 2009 Estate Cabernet is a dynamic fruit-filled wine that will naturally seduce. The cool 2009 summer growing conditions really drive the wine's elevated fruit profile while the vineyard's low crop level ensures that this fruit has great natural density and concentration, but never at the expense of freshness and vibrancy. More fruit-driven than its 2008 predecessor, there's plenty of striking Larkmead character evident, but at this early stage it's partially buried under these waves of irresistible supple fruit, such is the 2009 vintage signature. With two to four years of bottle development, I'd expect the full vineyard character to assert itself as we've seen with our 2007 Cabernet, to which this new release is most comparable. Don't be afraid to tuck a few bottles away for ten to twelve years' cellaring as this vintage has all the ingredients to mature beautifully in bottle." - Winemaker Andy Smith