2021 Solari Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Larkmead's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari (Black Label) is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from mostly older vines. Black cherries, licorice, spice box and mocha scents all emerge on the nose, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that's dense and concentrated, with a long, velvety-tannic finish. It should drink well for up to two decades.
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
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Full bottle 1,379 g. Oldest vines. Aged for 20 months in 70% new French oak. 1,202 cases produced. Organically produced. Mid to deep crimson. Intensely ripe, almost gamey, fruit. Then quite chewy and unashamedly different from the soupier, more chocolatey examples. (JR)
Lastly, the flagship 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari comes from older vines and is raised primarily in new barrels. It's notably darker hued compared to the classic Cabernet Sauvignon release and has a darker profile of ripe blackcurrants, red plums, leather, savory herbs, and scorched earth. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that shows the more restrained, focused style of the estate, with good concentration, ripe tannins, and outstanding length, along with a kiss of salinity on the finish. There's not much baby fat, but it has beautiful mid-palate depth, ripe, polished, building tannins, integrated acidity, and I think it's going to age beautifully. Hide bottles for 4-6 years, and it's going to evolve gracefully through 2046.
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, blended from seven parcels across the estate. The new approach here yields a floral, more delicate wine than in the past. The 2021 is a work in progress. I am not sure what the true voice of Larkmead is, but my intuition and experience with this vineyard and neighboring sites lead me to believe the wines here naturally want to be bigger. This is a very pretty, elegant wine.