2010 Solari Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Good dark red-ruby. Knockout nose melds black raspberry, mocha, licorice and sexy soil tones, with some very ripe suggestions leavened by dried sage and lavender nuances. Wonderfully sweet yet fresh, with its plush, fine-grained flavors of raspberry, cherry, plum and mocha given shape by perfectly integrated acidity. Finishes with firm but harmonious tannins and terrific rising length. The wine's sweetness is nicely buffered on the back end by an impression of medicinal reserve, but more in a red cherry way than black. This wine was tightly wound when I originally tasted it from bottle but it's evolving beautifully and could provide great pleasure now with some aeration. Outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon, and a beautiful expression of its site. Incidentally, the winery did not produce their special top-of-the-line Lark bottling in 2010 as yields were so low, so that juice went into the Solari. Harvested on October 13. (ST)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
This is like Mouton 1982 on the nose with lead pencil, blackberry, mint and asphalt. Iodine, iron and blood, too. Toasted oak and coffee. Full body with an incredible depth of fruit and structure to this red. The texture of velvet is compelling and makes you contemplate all great wines. A pinnacle of pure Napa Cabernet. Reserved opulence.
The compelling 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) boasts an opaque purple color as well as notes of black currants, licorice, graphite and charcoal, sweet black fruits on the entry, and hints of pen ink and toast. The terrific aromatics are followed by a textured, multidimensional wine with a 45-second finish. As the wine sits in the glass, aromas of crushed rock and spice box also emerge. This complex, intriguing effort should drink well for 25+ years. This splendid estate situated in the heart of Napa Valley, just north of St. Helena, has enjoyed a reputation for high quality for well over a century. Tasting with winemaker Andy Smith and Larkmead’s proprietor Cam Baker demonstrated once again just what brilliant wines these can be. All of the top cuvees (Solari, LMV Salon and the Lark) were declassified and not produced in 2011. 2012 appears to be a fabulous vintage for proprietor Cam Baker. Tel. (707) 942-0167
Dark ruby-red. Subtle, slightly suppressed aromas of blueberry, licorice, sage and fresh herbs. Precise and intense but youthfully tight and closed; less opulent than the LMV Salon but serious and powerful. The dark berry, licorice, bitter chocolate and crushed rock flavors come across as distinctly dry and uncompromising today but the wine's big, broad, ripe tannins and finishing energy suggest that it will unfold slowly and gracefully with bottle age. This is 100% cabernet sauvignon and it shows.