Larkmead Vineyards

Calistoga, CA

 

As part two of our Great day of tasting this week we’ll talk about Larkmead Cellars.  Larkmead is on Larkmead Lane, one of the crossroads from Highway 29 to the Silverado Trail north of St. Helena.  From a historical perspective Larkmead has an amazing history rivaling any of the big old name wineries in California.  The tasting facility and surrounding vineyards are as nice as any that you are going to see, especially for a winery smack in the middle of the Napa Valley.  And of course the wines were terrific.

 

 

For someone with a San Francisco/Bay Area background and an interest in local history the roots of Larkmead Winery will be of interest.  The Hitchcock Family from San Francisco purchased over a thousand acres of property in the northern Napa Valley back in 1873.  The Hitchcock family had gained wealth from the tobacco business in the South.  Lillie Hitchcock, was the 22 year old daughter when the property was purchased.  Lillie had been quite a character in her young San Francisco days and was the first female firefighter in the city.  Lillie had a reputation as somewhat a partier and her parents thought the Napa Valley location might calm her wild ways.  Lillie established her homestead, called Larkmead, and by 1876 a Lillie’s Brand of wine was being produced.  Lillie went on to marry an individual with the last name of Coit.  When Lillie died in 1929 she granted one third of her wealth to the City of San Francisco for art uses and much of the money went into the construction of Coit Tower, a San Francisco landmark.   

 

Today Larkmead is under only its third ownership, the Solari family who purchased the winery in 1948.  Initially the Solari family focused their efforts as growers but by the end of the century Larkmead was back making quality wines.  Food & Wine Magazine named Andy Smith, Larkmead’s winemaker, as one ten ‘Worlds Most Influential Wine Consultants’ in 2008 and Robert Parker gave the 2002 Solari (premium Cabernet) 100 points in a 2012 retrospective tasting.

 

But we are not (just) about quality, the experience is generally key with us, assuming good wine, and the experience was great.  Larkmead is an appointment only winery and they do not overload themselves with appointments.  It is customary at Larkmead that they greet you as you exit your vehicle.  We were greeted by our host Sonny.  My first thought of Sonny was that he may be a little goofy but he is really a genuine guy, a great story teller and a great salesman.  At Larkmead you are assigned a host who stays with you (and only you) throughout the tasting.  The tasting facility has an indoor area, a screened in outdoor area, a porch area and then there is seating throughout the property.  Everything is first class. The comfy chairs we sat on on the porch were perfect. 

 

Sonny started us out with the Sauvignon Blanc called Lillie.  Sonny had a story about each wine and this is where we learned the story about Lillie Hitchcock Coit as well as full details on the wine itself.  Although this was probably the most expensive Sauv Blanc I have ever tasted it was probably one of the best.  It is in oak for 12 months but still maintains a crisp bright flavor.  The second wine was a blend mainly of Merlot and Cabernet called the Firebelle.  Both this blend and the Cabernet that followed had very pure flavors like the fruit had been treated with the upmost care.  The two reds were excellent.  They were certainly in the same league as the Chappellet wines we had earlier in the day.  So that was it, three wines.  We did not feel cheated since our tasting was set up by some friends and complimentary.  There are additional wines available but these were not being poured that day.  There is another Red Blend (Kate’s Label) and then there are the premium Cabernets called the Salon and the Solari that we did not taste.  These Cabernets are allocated and for access to these I assume you need to be on a list or a Club Member or possibly both.  None of the literature we were presented included the pricing for these wines.  The standard tasting fee is $40.00 so this is not for the casual wine taster but it is a very special experience.  Sonny was such a great story teller he had my eyes watering (and the rest of my party did not notice) at the conclusion of one of his stories. 

What we liked- This was a special tasting experience and almost as much about things other than the wine than the wine itself (although the wine was very good).  You would not want every tasting to be like this as you could really trick yourself into thinking that you really were part of the wine elite and I really don’t think that is good.  Remember, we enjoy the picnic table experiences as much as others.

 

What we bought- Our tasting partners bought us a Firebelle and they bought themselves a Firebelle as well as a couple of Cabernets.  In some ways it is kind of sad to say that the Cabernet at $70.00 really was probably pretty fairly priced.

 

Vitals-

Larkmead Vineyards

1100 Larkmead Lane

Calistogo, CA  94515

(707) 942-6934

www.larkmead.com