Vanessa

9.6

This particular wine is Larkmead’s ‘The Lark’ made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon coming from the excellent 2007 vintage in Napa Valley. It matured 20 months in 100% new French oak barrels before bottling without filtration.

This wine marries power with beauty, given its firm structure and the mellifluous chorus of aromas and flavors such as ripe blackberry, crème de cassis, black cherry, blackcurrant, purple fig, violet, black licorice, anise, fennel, vanilla, clove, cardamom, damp earth, and kalamata olive.

The palate is mouth-coating and smooth, with high, but soft, fine-grained tannins, medium (+) acidity creating balance, and high alcohol. The finish is long.

This is an outstanding wine slowly revealing layers of character as it evolves in the glass. It’s drinking marvelously now, but has life ahead of it yet. — 11 days ago

Brianna Matz

9.5

Happy Thanksgiving! What a treat. Gorgeous — 5 months ago

Rob N

9.3

I quite like O’Shaughnessy, but these days I probably prefer DiCostanzo for Napa cab. At a higher price point, slight preference for Larkmead and O’Shaughnessy as well. — 3 years ago

Paul K

9.3

3 years since last tasted and it’s great! I remember thinking I shouldn’t touch for awhile. I’d say it’s now in window and on the upslope.
Palate is great. Dense mouthfeel chocolate, candied currant, anise, rhubarb?, baking spices, and cedar with grainy, almost sandy tannin. Long finish. All of those things coming together pretty nicely. Upping a point. — 2 days ago

Paul K

9.2

@"Odedi" doing the #merlotthursday and it’s a good one! — 4 months ago

Shay A

9.5

This was my contribution for a 10-yr retrospective of Napa cab with a local group. All wines (16 of them) were tasted blind. Others of note were Cardinale, Larkmead, Bryant Family, Vineyard 29, Corra and Jacquelyn To-Kalon.

My first experience with this wine, and when I acquired it, I wasn’t aware it was a 100 pointer. I’ve had many Hall wines but this is definitely their most structured wine. It’s fruit forward but in no way close to their other offerings. At 100% cab, it drinks like it. I let this breathe from bottle for about 2hrs before it was thrown in a decanter for another 2-3hrs and consumed. I had a splash at pop and it was crazy coiled, underripe and dusty. When I came back to it later (albeit blind, so I’m looking at my notes), it sported dark fruit on both the nose and the palate. Dark cocoa dipped black cherries, ripe blueberries and blackberries, as well as cassis and espresso aromatically. There was also a bit of a lavender/floral note that gave it a unique quality. On the palate, it eventually smoothed out beautifully, but was powerful the entire time. Dense and rich with added notes of fig, baking spices, and cocoa dusted fruits. One of those wines that makes you think overpowering, but then dials it down to silk on the finish. I think this is just entering a prime drinking window. Bummer I don’t have more. — 3 years ago

romo

9.1

Blue aromas, stone, blackberries, spice, heat. Called Aussie Shiraz. — 3 days ago

Josh Betz

9.4

Average work night — 2 months ago

Paul T- Huntington Beach

9.6

2nd day on this one👍🏼

A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the fruit for the 2019 The Bard fetches from Calistoga to Coombsville, including portions from illustrious vineyards such as Dr. Crane, Moonracer, Houyi and Larkmead. — 2 years ago

Rob N

9.5

2014. Simply excellent, reminds me of an excellent california cab like outpost or larkmead. — 3 years ago