Larkmead Firebelle spotlight
Wine Spectator films Avery Heelan, Larkmead's current winemaker, in the Calistoga estate vineyard. This 2019 Firebelle is from that same historic Larkmead property. Dan Petroski made the 2019.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2019 Larkmead Vineyards Firebelle Red, Napa Valley(95WE) across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $80.37 and the average is $104.48. Our slash is $100.00.
2019 Larkmead Vineyards Firebelle Red, Napa Valley(95WE)
Dan Petroski's Calistoga Cabernet-Merlot Firebelle, Wine Enthusiast 95, a 2019 you can open at one hundred dollars.
The 2019 Firebelle is 57 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 43 percent Merlot from Larkmead's Calistoga estate: rose petal, cranberry, cinnamon, tobacco, gun smoke, and dried herb after 18 months in 67 percent new French oak, now $100.
Calistoga Merlot with Cabernet shoulders, from a 1895 estate
Firebelle is Larkmead's plush Calistoga blend, named for a historic Napa train, from Pleasanton loam that makes Merlot act a little like Cabernet. The 2019 is 57 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 43 percent Merlot, 18 months in 67 percent new French oak. Dan Petroski made it. Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast 95, Cellar Selection: a showcase of savory earthiness and supple tannin, inky dark, balanced red fruit, tobacco, gun smoke, and dried herb, understated elegance. The house note is rose petal, red fruit, cranberry, and cinnamon, then pine forest, cedar, and tobacco, supple tannins that linger. This is the bottle that puts Larkmead's Merlot-and-Cabernet chapter on a table at one hundred dollars.
The house
Larkmead dates to 1895 on Larkmead Lane in Calistoga. Cam and Kate Solari Baker own it. Dan Petroski made 2019. Avery Heelan is winemaker now.
The wine
57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot. 18 months, 67% new French oak. Firebelle, not Solari, not LMV Salon.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 95, Cellar Selection: tobacco, gun smoke, dried herb, supple tannin.
The drinker
Rose and cranberry first. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Ribeye or duck.
Rose and cranberry, then tobacco, smoke, and silk
Boone found savory earthiness and supple tannin, inky dark, a wealth of balanced red fruit, tobacco, gun smoke, and dried herb, understated elegance. Larkmead's own 2019 note is rose petals, red fruit, cranberries, and cinnamon, then pine forest, cedar, and tobacco, a palate that lifts and coats with incredibly supple tannins.
A warm yet moderate Calistoga year after winter rain. Larkmead called it a great Merlot season, fragrant and elegant. Drink now through the late 2030s.
Rose petal, red fruit, cranberry, cinnamon, pine, cedar, tobacco, gun smoke.
Medium to full, 57% Cabernet, 43% Merlot, 18 months 67% new French oak, supple tannin.
Dried herb, length. Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Loam Merlot, Cabernet shoulders, then 67 percent new French oak
Larkmead's Pleasanton loam, clay and gravel, gives Merlot density and weight. Petroski blended 57 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with 43 percent Merlot and raised the 2019 18 months in 67 percent new French oak so rose, cranberry, and tobacco stay in front of toast. Firebelle is the plush bottling. Solari is the power Cabernet. LMV Salon is the Franc conversation.
Calistoga is Napa's warm northern floor, but Larkmead's soils drink more like a hillside. That is why Firebelle stays savory instead of jammy.
Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Wide Cabernet bowls.
A Calistoga estate older than most Napa names
Larkmead has been on Larkmead Lane since 1895. Firebelle keeps the estate's historic Merlot voice next to the Cabernet flagships.
The Solari-Baker family are the current stewards. Petroski, a San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the Year, made the 2019s. Avery Heelan, from Screaming Eagle, took over after.
Firebelle is named for a Napa railroad. It is the blend for drinkers who want Larkmead without waiting on Solari.
The 2019 is that blend in a fragrant Merlot year: rose, smoke, and a supple close.
Ribeye, then duck with cherry
Cabernet-Merlot wants browned beef and a little sweet-tart fruit. Ribeye echoes tobacco. Duck and cherry stay in the cranberry lane.
Two plates. One butter-basted ribeye. One duck breast with cherry sauce. Both can take Firebelle silk and smoke.
Decant 30 to 45 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. The 2019 is open and still has a window.
Butter-Basted Ribeye
A hard crust for Cabernet shoulders and Merlot silk.
Why it works: Beef fat and pepper pull red fruit, tobacco, and the gun-smoke close.
View Recipe for butter-basted ribeye (opens in a new tab)
Duck Breast with Fresh Cherry Sauce
Duck and cherry keep the pairing in Firebelle's cranberry and rose lane.
Why it works: Fat meets supple tannin. Cherry pulls red fruit through the smoke.
View Recipe for duck breasts with cherry sauce (opens in a new tab)Put this Firebelle in the cart
Larkmead, Wine Enthusiast 95, Calistoga Cabernet-Merlot. One hundred dollars against a $145 typical retail.
Put it in the cart. This is the Larkmead bottle for a table that wants Firebelle, not a wait on Solari.
