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2017 Larkmead Vineyards Firebelle Proprietary Red

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

February 26, 2023 - $71

Estimate

RATINGS

94James Suckling

A very refined red with crushed berries, cedar and chocolate. Hints of walnuts. Medium to full body. Fine tannins and a well-integrated center palate. So delicious and savory now.

94Wine Enthusiast

...swirl of cola and dark cherry and is highly enjoyable in its youth, with supple tannin and well-integrated oak. The fruit is dotted in clove, tea and a touch of white and black pepper.

92Vinous / IWC

...laced with sweet red cherry, spice, mint, cedar, tobacco and orange peel. Medium in body, silky and nicely lifted...

90The Wine Advocate

...notions of stewed plums, boysenberries and dried mulberries with touches of fruitcake, potpourri, fallen leaves and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is filled with juicy black fruit and earthy flavors, framed by judiciously extracted, rounded tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with an herbal lift.

90Wine Spectator

Focused and sleek, with hints of ripeness to the flavors of plum tart and baked cherry. Turns a touch fleshy midpalate, with chocolate and dried green herbal accents on the finish.

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,