Wine labels contain information about what is in the bottle — the least of which is the name that was chosen for the particular wine. Yet it often is the name that causes one bottle to be more noticeable than another.
Some wines are named after people — be it friends, family or someone unique to that region. Wine labels also tell the purchaser the name of the producer, the grape varietal, alcohol content and the place of origin of the grapes, among other things.
I recently tasted the 2006 Firebelle Red produced by Larkmead Vineyards, a wine named after a colorful individual, Lillie Hitchcock Coit. Lillie was known as “Firebelle Lil” because she allegedly was the first female volunteer firefighter in the United States. In the 1880s, she built a home in Napa Valley, which she named Larkmead after the meadow larks that lived nearby. Although Firebelle Lil didn’t make wine, she grew grapes that were sold to several local wineries, and the name of her estate lives on today through Larkmead Vineyards.
The 2006 Firebelle Red is a blend of 55 percent Merlot, 35 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 6 percent Cabernet Franc and 4 percent Malbec and appears dark red in color. I could taste a fair amount of cherry up front and the finish was smooth and long. I first tasted this wine at a tapas-style restaurant in Calistoga, Calif. called JoLe, where my group ordered seven or eight different dishes containing a wide spectrum of flavors. I was so astonished that one wine could pair well with each dish that I decided a visit to this winery was in order.
At this time of year, wineries are in the process of harvesting their grapes and beginning the fermentation process. With that in mind, the vineyards turned out to be the best place to begin a visit. Although Larkmead had harvested the specific vineyard we visited a few weeks earlier, there were still some merlot grapes on the vines. In tasting these grapes, it was amazing just how sweet and full of flavor they were. Walking through the soil of the vineyards reminded me that a winery is really nothing more than an agricultural business — a concept that I think is often overlooked by the consumer.
The Larkmead Vineyards winery is located across the street from where Firebelle Lil’s home once stood, with about 100 acres growing eight varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc. The winery sells an estimated 50 percent of its grapes to other wineries. Larkmead prides itself on using sustainable farming methods and meets 30 percent of its electrical needs through the use of solar panels.
In addition to tasting the 2006 Firebelle Red, we also tasted several other wines, including a surprisingly complex 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. This wine was crisp and refreshing, with flavors that reminded me of a Chardonnay. The winemaker creates this result by dividing the grape juice into three groups and fermenting each group using a different method. In this case, the winemaker aged very small percentages in stainless steel barrels and new oak barrels, with the bulk of the wine aged in neutral oak. New oak is used to impart creamy, buttery and oaky flavors into the wine. Neutral oak consists of used barrels, which reduce acidity and soften the wine, while stainless steel helps make the wine more crisp and refreshing. The complexity of this wine will pair quite well with many foods, especially grilled shellfish — but at the same time it would taste great outside on one of our remaining warm days.
Jim Rawe, a family attorney in Bradenton, is an avid collector of fine wines. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at jimrawe@gmail.com.
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