2004 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon Solari Reserve

(14.7% alcohol): Medium ruby. Sexy, expressive nose combines black raspberry, mocha, dark chocolate and musky tobacco lifted by a violet topnote. Sweet and dense but sappy and light on its feet, offering still-tight flavors of dark berries, licorice and bitter chocolate. With its sound energy and firm spine of chewy tannins, this wine is still seriously backward and in need of patience.

Another titan of Napa Valley is Larkmead’s 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari Reserve. Composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, it is a sumptuous, virtually perfect expression of wine with an inky/purple color, beautiful floral aromas intermixed with sweet, pure black currants and hints of licorice as well as subtle oak. The extraordinary ripeness of the tannins, the flawless integration of acidity, tannin, wood and alcohol, the remarkable finish, and the full-bodied texture make for a tour de force in winemaking. It can be drunk now, but will benefit from another 2-3 years of cellaring. It will age effortlessly for 20-40+ years. How fun it would be to go through life arguing over which is the better wine, the 2004 Salon or the 2004 Solari Reserve. Cam Baker, one of Northern Napa Valley’s iconic figures, administers this extraordinary terroir that was historically famous in the 1800s, but seemingly forgotten after Prohibition was repealed. However, over the last two decades, some remarkable cuvees have emanated from Larkmead. For my tastes, these wines are always dead ringers for great Pauillacs. Tel. (707) 942-0167; Fax (707) 942-6934

Full ruby. Plum, chocolate, graphite, tobacco and truffle on the slightly high-toned nose. Rich, broad and sweet, with intriguing underlying minerality. This began quite fat, even a bit ponderous, but gained in freshness and grip with aeration, showing brighter flavors of dark raspberry and minerals and finishing with chewy tannins. I found my score going up.