The completion of the hospitality-focused Lark Room and the expanded Barrel Hall in 2014 was phase two and marked a new era for Larkmead. Now the winemaking team has all the tools they need to produce wines that best express the vineyard. And the goal - to restore Larkmead’s former glory – has been affirmed through the high praise we’ve received from visitors, collectors, and press.

Kate’s parents, Larry and Polly Solari, purchased Larkmead in 1948. Kate spent her childhood in the valley, exploring a bygone Napa dominated by prune and walnut orchards, hayfields, cattle ranches, and acres of empty fields. The towns were very small, catering to local farmers and ranchers, and everyone knew each other’s name. Kate rode horses and swam in what was then called Paradise Park (now Bothe State Park) and played kick the can on Main Street in St. Helena. Her parents were aware of Larkmead’s storied past and sought to honor its legacy, a philosophy they passed down to Kate and her husband. These days, Cam and Kate’s children and grandchildren are often found at the estate, continuing the family tradition at Larkmead into its fourth generation.

“I can’t say enough good things about what proprietor Cam Baker and the entire team at Larkmead are doing at this historic property.”

- Antonio Galloni

As an adult, Kate achieved recognition for her pastel landscapes and multimedia art. She has a studio in Sausalito and her work is also displayed in the renovated Larkmead Historic Barn. In 1995 and 2010, she was asked to create posters for Auction Napa Valley.

Cam has been the manager of Larkmead’s operations and wine program, using his many business and legal skills and expertise to bring Larkmead back to the stature it enjoyed years ago. For many years he worked with his father-in-law, the late Larry Solari, whom he remembers as a giant in the California and U.S. wine industry. Cam has a deep passion and respect for the Estate and his goal has been to enhance Larkmead’s status as one of the finest vineyards in the Napa Valley.

“My father, Larry (Bruno) Solari, is recognized as one of the early pioneers of the California Wine Industry. He always expressed his belief that the wine business is one that is uniquely built on personal relationships, person to person, one at a time.”

- Kate Solari Baker, Proprietor

In 1940, after struggling to find a job that utilized his talents, he went to work for the Wine Growers Guild in Lodi. This was his first connection to the grape growing and winemaking community in California, and it was here that he forged his lifelong appreciation for making and drinking wine. In 1948, he and Polly purchased Larkmead. At the same time, he accepted a job as a Sales Manager for Italian Swiss Colony, charged with the goal to convince Americans that wine had a place at the family dinner table. For Larry, this was already a given - wine was a natural part of Italian culture, customary at each meal. This unpretentious yet impassioned goal drove Larry’s success in the wine industry and made him a beloved and respected compatriot for other small winery owners in Napa Valley.

Between 1948 and 1952, Larry commuted to San Francisco during the week, leaving Polly to run the winery and supervise daily operations. It was a far less onerous task in those days than it is now, but nonetheless very unusual for a woman. This was a time of resurgence for the Napa wine industry following Prohibition and World War II. Through both Larkmead and Italian Swiss Colony, Larry helped provide many local grape growers with a home for their grapes and therefore welcome income. In return, mother nature blessed the Solaris’ first harvest at Larkmead with a bounty beyond imagination.

Larry went on to become President and CEO of United Vintners, the 1,500-member grape grower cooperative that owned Italian Swiss Colony, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyard. His next move was to Heublein, where he served as Executive Director and even helped to acquire United Vintners. Many years later, he accepted a position as Chairman of the Wine Institute, a fitting capstone to a distinguished career. To this day, he is regarded as one of the “giants” of the California Wine Industry, and even Robert Mondavi referred to him as a mentor.

In the early days at Larkmead, grapes sold for $14 a ton and wine for a penny a bottle. Prohibition hit hard, but Larkmead was able to survive by selling fruit and making sacramental wine. By the mid 1930s, Larkmead was releasing wine under its own label again, and quickly built an impressive reputation. André Tchelistcheff, Napa’s leading enologist at the time, considered Larkmead to be one of the four "outstanding wine processing plants” alongside Inglenook, Beaulieu Vineyard, and Beringer.

“The story of Larkmead follows closely the development of the great dry wine industry here, in which Larkmead products played their prominent part in bringing to this district a fame not surpassed by French wines in their heyday.”

– St. Helena Star, Friday, June 25, 1943

The Salminas were Industry leaders of their time. They chaired many local wine organizations and contributed much to the development and promotion of Napa Valley wine. After Felix's death in 1940, the family sold Larkmead Vineyards to a Chicago based bottler and distributor, Bragno & Co, in 1943. The property was later sold to National Distillers and then, in 1948, to the Solaris.

Lillie was a force of nature whose wit, poise, and charm were the stuff of legend in San Francisco society and ensured her a loyal following of admirers. She also challenged the conventions of the day by drinking bourbon, smoking cigars, playing poker, and driving a team of six horses. These antics combined with her intellect placed her among the most famous women in America at that time. For many, she represented the independent pioneer spirit of the early Californians.

In the eyes of her family, Lillie’s behavior ranged from improper to scandalous, so she was sent to live in their Napa Valley country estate “to learn to quiet down.” She named her new home Larkmead after the meadowlarks in the area (pictured above), and regularly invited her artist and intellectual friends to gather and share ideas in a series of salons. Her landscaping was also quite notable; in addition to planting the three palms for which the famous vineyard would one day be named, she cultivated a good-sized vineyard that included Zinfandel and Riesling among its vines. This project connected her to many of the local winegrowers of the day, including Schram, Tubbs, Krug, and Beringer.

“Mabel Gray and I are busy with the wine half the day. We have sealed nearly all the Centennial white wine of the ‘Lillie’ brand, which was made in 1876 and was our first vintage.”

-Martha Hitchcock, Drew Sparks & Sally Kellman, A Salon at Larkmead

After her death in 1929 at age 86, Lillie left a third of her fortune to the city of San Francisco. Named in her honor, the Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill is a tribute to Lillie and to the brave firemen of her city.

The above is only a glimpse of the true character of Lillie Hitchcock Coit. In tribute to the strength of her spirit and her connection to Larkmead, three wines are named after her – the ‘Lillie’ Sauvignon Blanc, ‘Firebelle’ and ‘LMV Salon’.