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2018 Larkmead Vineyards Firebelle Proprietary Red

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

April 9, 2023 - $61

Estimate

RATINGS

97Wine Enthusiast

...notes of cedar, dried herb and slate that mix with a core of blueberry and plum. Lingering accents of nutmeg and cocoa nib mark the close.

96James Suckling

Lovely aromas of tile, blackberries and plums with some lavender and violets, following through to a full body with chewy, round tannins that are layered into the pretty, not overly ripe fruit.

93Wine Spectator

Elegantly styled, with well-knit dried red fruit and berry flavors supported by firm tannins and fresh acidity. Vibrant minerality in the midpalate, with a pure and savory finish that is crisp and direct.

92Vinous / IWC

...gracious and beautifully lifted in the glass. Crushed red berry fruit, spice, cedar and tobacco are all laced together in this attractive, mid-weight red.

91The Wine Advocate

...notes of red currant jelly, stewed plums and mulberries with an undercurrent of black cherry compote, dried Mediterranean herbs and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate has loads of savory sparks among the plummy black fruit flavors with rounded tannins and well-balanced acidity, finishing on a peppery note.

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,