2012 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (1.5 L)

Thanks to our close friendship with Larkmead winemaker and 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the Year Dan Petroski—and of course a very fortuitous visit to the winery—we’re sharing a previously unreleased etched magnum of the 2012 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley.

The 2012 Larkmead Cabernet is a regal wine that Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called a “dead-ringer” for Grand Cru Classé Pauillac, and in this previously unreleased large-format bottle, it’s sure to turn some serious heads at the table. We discovered it at Larkmead a few months ago, after gently prodding Dan and team to take a look in the cellar for something totally unique. They came across this cache of etched magnums that had never left the cellar, and never been offered before—not to the mailing list, not to restaurants, not to anyone.

Coming from the incredible 2012 vintage, this Cabernet has now spent eight years in the cool Larkmead cellar. Crimson-ruby in color and showing just a touch of age at the rim, it’s bursting with black currant and black cherry fruit, and opens up to aromas of vanilla, pipe tobacco, sweet spice, and violets. The palate is substantial and smooth, featuring fine-grained tannins and a full mouthfeel, with flavors of black cherry, chocolate, and baking spice leading to a lingering sweet tobacco note.

Larkmead is one of our all-time favorite wineries. Founded in 1895, it’s one of the most historic and revered properties in Napa Valley. Because of its unique positioning at the north end of Napa Valley, Larkmead sits on a gravel bed more than 300 feet deep, which makes it one of the best-draining sites in the Valley, and therefore perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Equally important are Larkmead’s hallmark mature vines. “We plant with the objective that we won’t work with vines until they reach ten years of age,” Dan explained. “There’s this tipping point when a young vine becomes an old vine, and we’re looking for that: When are they gonna become these mature vines to become Larkmead?”

We can thank those mature vines for producing this stunning wine, and thank Dan and the Larkmead team for sharing it with Wine Access members. Here’s to you enjoying the experience.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.70%
• 15 mins
• Now – 2035
• 94% Cabernet Sauvignon6% Petit Verdot
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork