2006 Solari Cabernet Sauvignon

(a selection of three blocks; 100% cabernet sauvignon) Good deep ruby-red. Brooding aromas of cassis, cedar, graphite and menthol. Suave and fine-grained on entry, and not quite as thick as the LMV Salon. The mid-palate shows a distinctly medicinal menthol quality and less easy sweetness than the LMV but a more serious structure and excellent lift. At once juicy and uncompromising, but then this is cabernet sauvignon. Finishes with solid tannins that call for several years of cellaring. My score today may turn out to be conservative. This has a higher pH than the LMV Salon (3.85, vs. 3.75) but is less pliant today.

Absolutely brilliant, the 100% Cabernet Sauvignon cuvee, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari Reserve (825 cases) has gorgeous notes of cedar wood, creme de cassis, creosote, and forest floor in its fragrant, full-bodied, velvety textured, opulent style. It must be considered in the running as a candidate for wine of the vintage in Napa. Just sensational stuff, this wine should drink well for at least 20-30+ years. This is one of the reference point as well as historic vineyards of Napa Valley, yet remarkably, Larkmead is not as well known as the quality of these wines or the stature of this vineyard merits. With 145 acres in vines and a vineyard established in the late 1800s by the Solari family, it has been run for multiple decades by Kate Solari Baker and her husband Cam. Perhaps the fact that the vineyard and winery have an actual road named after them (Larkmead Lane) says it all. Andy Smith, who has done such a brilliant job at DuMOL and a few other places, is the consulting winemaker, and he seems to be going from strength to strength with these wines. As much as I loved what Larkmead did in 2004 and 2005, their 2006s are among the vintage’s most compelling, They do make some white wine, as they have nearly 13 acres planted with Sauvignon Blanc. It is a wine that is barrel-fermented then kept for ten months on its lees. Larkmead is a sensational producer, and the prices seem incredibly fair for wines of such quality. As one might expect, the 2007s are extraordinarily opulent, seductive wines already, despite the fact that none of them are in bottle. The seamlessness of the tannins, the purity of the fruit, and the undeniable concentration suggest these wines will be absolute crowd pleasers when released, but are easily capable of lasting 20-30 years for the top cuvees. Tel. (707) 942-0167; Fax (707) 942-6934