Winemaker Notes
Historically, the Firebelle Estate Red Blend has been a marriage of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This vintage, Larkmead is excited to include Cabernet Franc, which brings the varietal's signature vibrant ruby color, bramble berry notes, and herbal freshness to the blend.
In the glass, one is first greeted by beautiful notes of crushed rose petals, morello cherries, and blackberries. The expansive bouquet builds with notes of white pepper, cedar, and mulled raspberries with beautiful, perfumed winter spices. The palate is just as compelling as the nose, with a dense, yet supple core matched by its weighted texture that glides across the palate; it lingers long after the final sip. Each of the varietals in the blend contribute to its allure. The wine is generous and complex, and the resonance of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, heightened by Cabernet Franc, creates a blend that is even greater than the sum of the parts.
Blend: 62% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This attractive and sophisticated wine relies on a hearty portion of Merlot combined with the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon and aromatics of Cabernet Franc. Tobacco, toasted oak and roast coffee aromatics are greeted by flavors of black plum, sweet tobacco and dark chocolate, with a refreshing lift of fennel. Creamy, palate-coating tannins carry into a long finish for brooding and intriguing effect.
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James Suckling
Intense black and blue fruit character with ground spices, blue flowers, crushed stone and hints of cedar. Full-bodied, deep and succulent, showing harmony and poise. Very fine, compact tannins and vivid acidity leading to a vivid, refined aftertaste. Better after 2027.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A red Bordeaux blend, the 2021 Firebelle offers a pretty, perfumed, incredibly juicy style in its red (and some black) fruits as well as savory herbs, camphor, and loamy earth-like aromatics and flavors. This medium-bodied, incredibly drinkable 2021 has moderate concentration and light tannins, and it will shine for 7-8 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 62% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Firebelle is already showing a touch of brick at the rim, but it boasts pretty aromas of black tea and ripe cherries, a silky texture to its medium to full-bodied palate and a long, elegant finish. Drink it over the next several years.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.