Sign In

2018 Larkmead Vineyards Solari Cabernet Sauvignon

4 available
Minimum Bid Per Bottle is $110
Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

ITEM 9839863 - Removed from a temperature and humidity controlled wine storage unit; Purchased upon release

Bidder Quantity Amount Total
4 $110
Item Sold Amount Date
I9830665 1 $110 Dec 15, 2024
I9759705 3 $125 Oct 27, 2024
I9618664 1 $130 Aug 11, 2024
2018 Larkmead Vineyards Solari Cabernet Sauvignon

RATINGS

97James Suckling

Beautiful aromas of currants, blackberries and flowers follow through to a full body with ultra fine tannins that are polished and so long and persistent.

97Wine Enthusiast

This Cabernet Sauvignon is crunchy, textured and elegant. The palate is driven by grippy tannins, with lifted elements of herbs, crushed rock and violet lingering over ripe flavors of dark cherry and currant.

96Jeb Dunnuck

A gorgeous wine from this estate, it has incredible notes of blackcurrants, camphor, new leather, and dried tobacco... Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has terrific overall balance, lots of underlying structure, and a great, great finish.

95Wine Spectator

Supersleek in feel, with a very precisely cut swath of cassis, bitter cherry and raspberry coulis notes coursing through, supported with sanguine and iron details and a flash of savory at the end. Restrained, refined and very long.

94+ The Wine Advocate

...notions of boysenberries, black and red cherry preserves and black currant pastilles with hints of garrigue, sautéed herbs and tobacco leaf plus a waft of charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is elegant and refreshing, features a racy backbone and has finely grained tannins that support the intense red and black fruits, finishing with refreshing herbal lift.

94Vinous / IWC

...laced with the essence of wild cherry, tobacco, licorice and a whole range of earthy, savory notes.

93.7CellarTracker

16Jancis Robinson

A ripe wine with prevalent oak, black cherries, dust, dry underbrush and desiccated leaves, a touch of cassis, vanilla and lingering mocha notes.

PRODUCER

Larkmead Vineyards

Larkmead Vineyards in Calistoga was founded in 1948 by Bruno Solari and his wife Polly. Bruno was the son of Tuscan immigrants and after graduating from UC Berkeley in 1933, he bought the vineyards that would become Larkmead and also worked as president of United Vintners, which owned Inglenook, Beaulieu and Italian Swiss Colony. Bruno continued to work as a wine industry executive during his life and Polly ran the estate. Today Larkmead includes 113 acres of vineyards planted to seven kinds of grapes and it is still operated by descendants of Bruno and Polly Solari. Larkmead’s wines are 100% estate grown. The estate produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cab Franc, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and several blends. The Wine Advocate generally rates the estate’s wines in the mid to high-90s, and notes that Larkmead “has enjoyed a reputation for high quality for well over a century.”

REGION

United States, California, Napa Valley

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

TYPE

Red Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.