Jay Kline

9.2

This bottle was the first from a case that was purchased direct from the winery on release about ten years ago. The 2007 Napa Valley designation Cabernet Sauvignon received over a third of its fruit from the Larkmead Vineyard and the quality shows. The color was a deep, dark, glass staining garnet with no obvious signs of age. On the nose, this was a powerful tobacco bomb with other delightful secondary characteristics such as earth and olives peaking through the curtain of opulent fruit. The palate was treated to all of the lushness and ripeness I have come to expect from the 2007 vintage in Napa valley; a velvet glove of sweet red and black fruits, leather and baking spices. Tannins are well integrated at this point and this is firing on all cylinders. Anyone with well stored examples of these will be well rewarded on the pop and pour. Drink now and over the next few years. — 6 years ago

Evan Shumway

9.2

Just a baby. Opened for 4 hours and still huge — 7 years ago

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

9.8

1989 Bordeaux PNV Retrospective at Larkmead. Best wine of the tasting. Perfume. Baking spices. Wow. Gorgeous. Delicious. Lively. Tart balance. CS-driven? Tannins still pushy. — 7 years ago

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

9.2

1989 Bordeaux PNV Retrospective at Larkmead. Ringer! Purported itself very well. Pretty perfume, hint of capsicum. Cedar. Warm. Coffee. — 7 years ago

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

9.6

1989 Bordeaux PNV Retrospective at Larkmead. Cinnamon and clove spice. Canned peaches. Explosive aromatics. Floral perfume, earth. Full, powerful. Long. Love. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.6

Cayuse was called for after a long week at the office which consisted of tastings at Larkmead and Skipstone (not to mention tasting each barrel of 2016 Theorem) and visits to our two new vineyard sites (Moon Mountain and Dry Creek). The highlight of the week, though, was my first working lunch at Diavola in Geyserville. I get it now... anytime close and it’s mandatory.

As for this Cayuse... the 2011 God Only Knows Grenache comes from a 7 acre parcel of the Armada Vineyard in Walla Walla Valley. The other 25 acres or so are planted to Syrah. While close to being ready immediately, an hour open really helps it work out the kinks, which should almost be expected for a wine this exotic. At its core it is kirsch infused with fresh cracked pepper, forest floor, and Herbes de Provence, with a pure minerality that adds just enough acid, but not too much that it keeps the Strawberry from shaking its ass. Stunning. — 8 years ago

J Greene

9.3

Easy to drink and a super looonng finish. — 6 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.5

opaque purple, prominent glass staining tears; aromatic, blackberry jam, fig, lavender, kiss of vanilla; dense, intense, sweet black fruit, slightly minty finish; full bodied, medium+ acidity, nice tannin/texture, 14.5% ABV; sourced from a single choice block of Larkmead Vineyard in Calistoga, 100% Olmo clone; drinking beautifully now — 7 years ago

Renee Lanza

9.2

Delicious and crisp! Exactly what I look for in a Sauvignon blanc. Knew it would be good because it’s the side project of Dan Petroski (Larkmead). — 7 years ago

with Christian

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

9.5

1989 Bordeaux PNV Retrospective at Larkmead. One of my favorites. Looked more youthful than many of the other wines. Dried leaves, peppermint. Leather. Full mouth. Nuanced. Not much fruit left. Classic old claret. — 7 years ago

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

9.2

1989 Bordeaux PNV Retrospective at Larkmead. Spearmint, weedy. Very mature (past?). Fruit gone- all about bottle bouquet. — 7 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.5

The best white made in Napa today! — 7 years ago

Sean Grullon

9.8

Larkmead knows how to make wines that balance tension between expressive fruit and savory complexity, without becoming an overextracted oak bomb mess. There’s flowers, cocoa, mushroom, and a serious umami quality that is balanced by dense dark fruits and is all in balance with a smooth, extended finish. One of the best red wines made in Napa Valley. — 8 years ago

Joe Kaiser

9.2

What a wonderful wine, and in a good place, wonderful mouth feel, tropical fruit, with hint of vanilla, on the palate apple, pear, with hints of spice giving away to balance & finesse. Beautiful wine! Thanks David @RameyWineCellars! Think I'll take my double mag 05 Larkmead Cab to 4th cookout tomorrow. — 9 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.4

dark ruby violet; cassis, licorice, mocha, vanilla, cedar; intense, concentrated flavors with plum, black cherry, bit of spice; full bodies, good acidity, supple tannins, 14.5% ABV; sourced from Panek, Pellet, Larkmead, and Kennedy vineyards, project of Thomas Rivers Brown and Genevieve Marie Welsh, great appellation level wine at $65 — 6 years ago

Bill Bender

9.3

I met @Aaron Hamrock on Wednesday and the first wines he shared were a ‘86 Mouton (my Red Wine of the trip), a ‘90 Beausajor a ‘07 Larkmead Lark and this, the holy grail of Spanish wines. Pretty solid intro. This was rich and round but still not fully strutting in my opinion. If the dinner was 2 hours longer and it hadn’t been completely drained it would have been interesting to see where this went. I say hold if you have one, which you probably don’t. — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

FFV first constructed as the Larkmead Winery in 1884, the building was refinished with native sandstone from the nearby hills in 1906 and still stands tall today. Blended with 11% Petite Sirah, aromas of rich dark fruits with herb spice notes. On the palate cherry and raspberry flavors with some vanilla oak and pepper spice. Firm tannins, medium finish, good mouthfeel ending with spicy fruit character. Nice! — 7 years ago

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

9.3

1989 Bordeaux PNV Retrospective at Larkmead. Very mature. Dried herbs. Perfume emerges. Modest acidity. Tannis. — 7 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.3

Pre-Larkmead bottling. Didn’t have the telltale Cab nose of the Arrowood or Forman, and not sure I would have pegged it as Cabernet if tasted blind. That said, this was a beautiful wine. Soft fruit, great balance, and in a word, elegant. Nice surprise. And no, @Bill Bender that is not The Skipper on the label. — 7 years ago

Ben Harris

8.9

We opened this after a long day of tasting,so maybe my palate was exhausted, but it felt one dimensional. — 9 years ago

with Nate