August 2021
Weekly Calistogan
“Classy, classic and a touch of quirky all land on the timeline of Larkmead Vineyards. If you think you know the whole story there you may not; you may not have done enough research, tasted enough of their wine, or listened to enough tales.”
July 2021
Wine Industry Advisor
“Larkmead Vineyards is pleased to announce that Associate Winemaker Avery Heelan has been promoted to Winemaker. Heelan will be taking over from celebrated winemaker Dan Petroski, who joined Larkmead in 2006 and has been the winemaker since 2013. In her new role at Larkmead, Heelan will oversee all winemaking and vineyards, continuing climate action and research initiatives with the Larkmead Research Block and working closely alongside viticulturist Kelly Maher and vineyard manager Nabor Camarena to manage the 150-acre estate. Heelan will also start producing wines from the Hillside vineyard, Larkmead’s most recently completed vineyard development.”
July 2021
The Wine Exchange
“In discussion with other wine lovers, listening to the Salon at Larkmead webinar and through further research on the subject of natural wine, I have found its proponents very impassioned on the movement and somewhat dismissive of what they repeatedly refer to as “conventional” winemaking.”
June|July 2021
Wine Enthusiast
“Winemakers and growers are feeling the squeeze between bloom and harvest dates, the contraction of ripening time amid warmer, drier weather. Two main questions are being asked: How can we protect our most prized possession from changing weather and weather extremes? And, should we think about planting varieties other than Cab?”
June 2021
San Francisco Examiner
“The Larkmead Exploratory Vineyard is planted in three seven-year explorations, with varietals such as Tempranillo from Spain, Touriga Nacional from Portugal and Aglianico from southern Italy, all regions with warmer temperatures than the Napa Valley. Other grapes in initial test plots include Zinfandel, Chenin Blanc, Charbono, Petite Sirah and Australian Shiraz, which thrives in the Southern Hemisphere.”
May 2021
Washington Post
“So does this concept of terroir even matter, in a practical sense? Scientists have tested the legend of terroir, either to debunk it as a myth or to prove it. …For more proof that terroir can be tasted, I participated in a recent online tasting for media by Dan Petroski, winemaker of California’s Larkmead Vineyards, and geologist Brenna Quigley. Larkmead is located at the ‘hourglass’ point of Napa Valley, squeezed between mountains to the east and west. That means all the geologic shifts over millennia filtered through this narrow strip of land, giving the vineyards at Larkmead a diverse palette of soils.”
April 2021
NBC Bay Area
“In the storied vineyards of Napa County, predictions of a changing climate have caught the attention of some winemakers. At the 125-year-old Larkmead Winery in Calistoga, winemaker Dan Petroski is not sitting idly by waiting for change to lurch in. He’s planted a small test vineyard with grape varietals popular in dryer climates like Portugal, the south of France and Italy. The infant plants could be the future.”
April 2021
Vine Pair
“Larkmead Vineyards is its own little ecosystem. Its water comes from wells on the property, and the water it uses to clean its equipment gets recycled in the vineyard. Anything Petroski puts into the ground finds its way into the water and eventually becomes part of the vines themselves. He says the key to longevity for grape growers is recognizing this and taking baby steps, like participating in Napa Green and practicing organic farming. He maintains that extending the life of vines will not only return winery owners’ investments, but will allow customers to enjoy their favorite wines for years to come.”
February 2021
James Suckling
“I was impressed with the center palate of their reds from 2018. The vintage is an excellent one and produced reds with finesse and elegance due to the long growing season and high levels of crop. Larkmead Winemaker Dan Pietroski said in a Tasting Interview that they have been working on filling in the center palate of the wines by picking slightly earlier and reducing the levels of alcohol in his wines....Whatever he did, his reds shows a a pretty depth and intensity and all this with less than 14 degrees alcohol.”
February 2021
Decanter
“2011 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon: A unique nose of gunpowder, dried hay, figs and red plums. Impressively youthful in flavour and texture, boasting dried blackberry, chalk dust and a hint of molasses. Tannins are ripe, fresh and drying on the finish, admirably landing at the midpoint of rusticity and density. 93 Points (From 2011 vintage retrospective tasting.)”
January 2021
Vinous
“Napa Valley's Thrilling 2018's & 2019's: The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Dr. Olmo has really come together nicely over the last year. A dark, brooding wine, the Dr. Olmo is imbued with so much character. Black cherry, plum, scorched earth, leather and game reveal a wine of considerable nuance and complexity. There is so much going on here. The 2018 finishes with notable substance and feeling of sheer pedigree that is impossible to miss. 95 Points.”
January 2021
Jeb Dunnuck
“2018 Cabernet Sauvignon The Lark is cut from the same cloth, with beautiful currant fruits, dried tobacco, camphor, spice, and chocolate notes, and it’s a slightly deep, darker fruited wine than the Solari. Full-bodied, rich, and beautifully concentrated, with a mountain of tannins, it stays balanced, seamless, and lengthy. As with all these wines from Larkmead these days, the cellar is going to be your friend. Hide bottles for 7-8 years if you can, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 30-40 years. 96+ Points.”
December 2020
California Joint Member Resolution No. 272
“Authored by the Honorable Bill Dodd of the 3rd Senatorial District and Cecila M. Aguiar Curry of the 4th Assembly District, Resolution No. 272 acknowledges Larkmead Vineyards for its 125th anniversary, celebrated in 2020, and history of achievements and contributions to the Napa Valley. In addition to the framed original displayed at the winery, the Resolution will forever be stored in the California State Archives.”
December 2020
Wine Enthusiast
“2017 The Lark: This is the producer’s top-echelon wine, made from Cabernet Sauvignon and matured in 100% new French oak. Savory earth, clove and black tea accent a core of concentrated black cherry, cassis and plum, the two sides of the equation coming together to make for a cohesive, structured and complex whole. Best 2027–2032. Cellar Selection 97 Points”
November 2020
WildSam: Napa & Sonoma Guide
“Dating to 1895, Larkmead links to some of the industry's most significant names. And somehow too, you can catch what's next here. Dan Petroski, Larkmead's winemaker, is a latter-day pilgrim: a 47-year-old former magazine pro self-remade into an acclaimed winemaker. He maintains a sharp eye for story, noting that Larry Solari, who bought Larkmead in 1948, was so pivotal to early California wine that jug-wine kings Earnest and Julio Gallo carried his casket. His Larkmead wines often nod to history.”
November 2020
Napa Valley Register
“Dan Petroski, a long-time proponent of understanding climate change, finds ways to adapt his growing decisions aimed at producing the best possible wine from a specific area regardless of varietal composition. He believes planting choices are not necessarily based on a specific varietal since growing conditions (as we’re now witnessing) may change, so flexibility must be considered when decisions are made.”
October 2020
Wine Spectator
“The Baker family has given Petroski full autonomy, though he recognizes that if his approach becomes too esoteric he could lose their trust. But he feels like he's fielded enough vintages that he can identify any missteps and quickly correct them for the purpose of making better wines. "Our goal is to have Larkmead recognized as a world-class wine estate," says Cam Baker. "We all agree that Dan has made spectacular wines and great strides towards that goal. And the best is yet to come.”
April 2020
International Wine Report
“The 2017 Solari is another absolutely beautiful wine from Larkmead in this vintage. Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this begins to impress with its gorgeous aromatic profile of fresh red and dark fruits along with fresh flowers, herbs and hints of tobacco that all emerge beautifully from the glass. Displaying wonderful elegance as well as incredible poise and balance, this medium-to full-bodied red is bright, fresh and well-defined, ending with a refined, focused finish. While the 2017 Solari is nothing short of impressive in its youth, it also has the building blocks to age tremendously well for quite some time. 96 Points.”
January 2020
Decanter
“A recent bursary from the owners of Larkmead Vineyards, where Olmo established a research plot in 1939, will preserve and digitise the collection so that it can be shared more widely. The first serious records should be available to consult online over the next 12 to 15 months, with archivist Beth Forrestal and head of special collections Kevin Miller currently working through them.”
January 2020
Vinous
“Winemaker Dan Petroski turned out an absolutely stellar set of wines at Larkmead in both 2016 and 2017. The bottled 2016’s capture every bit of potential I sensed in these wines when they were in barrel. Conditions in 2017 were far more challenging than they were in 2016. Yields are down a whopping 43% across the board, much of that caused by heat spikes in both June and July. Remarkably, the 2017’s offer quite a bit of potential just the same.”
January 2020
Wine Enthusiast
“Our three California editors reviewed nearly a thousand bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon in 2019. It makes sense: Cabernet Sauvignon is the state’s most widely planted red wine grape and is a signature of the Napa Valley.”
January 2020
Sonoma Magazine
“Petroski, along with other Napa Valley winemakers, thinks climate change — rising temperatures, droughts, extreme weather — might dramatically alter the local winegrowing landscape. To prepare for such a scenario, he is now looking at grapes from warmer regions around the world and thinking about how they might be implemented in Napa Valley 20 to 30 years from now.”
December 2019
UC Davis
“The UC Davis Library announced today that it received a $200,000 gift from the owners of Larkmead Vineyards, Cameron “Cam” Baker and Kate Solari Baker, to preserve the work of one of California’s most influential viticulture researchers, the late Professor Emeritus Harold Olmo. The donation will allow the UC Davis Library, which has been called “the world’s greatest wine library,” to digitize and broadly share Olmo’s work on viticulture, grape breeding and the suitability of grape varieties to different climates and terrains from around the world.”
December 2019
International Wine Report
“The 2016 in Napa Valley vintage was one of the best ever on record, and Larkmeads ‘The Lark’ was a highlight and a clear standout amongst many outstanding wines from this sensational vintage, which is why it has earned our award for Wine of the Year in 2019. Winemaker Dan Petroski has crafted this simply stunning wine from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from a parcel of older vines planted in the the bale loam soils of Larkmead’s A Block.”
December 2019
NPR Morning Edition
“California produces 90% of all the wine made in America. But historic wildfires, devastating droughts and other extreme weather have many in the business struggling with how to adapt to a changing climate. As NPR's Eric Westervelt reports, a growing number of vineyard owners in the country's best-known wine region are calling for less talk and some more action.”
December 2019
Karen MacNeil
“VIDEO: Dan Petroski is the winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards, an historic estate in the Napa Valley, and the founder and owner of Massican, one of the few Napa wineries to focus on top-notch white wines exclusively. Dan was born and raised in New York, and went to Columbia University to study history while playing football. He is a self-taught winemaker and is at the forefront of the climate change discussion in Napa Valley.”
December 2019
Weekly Calistogan
“Petroski obtained a letter from Olmo to a fellow viticulturist that confirmed he’d moved the Cabernet clones Oakville Station from vineyards at Larkmead. “I was like – wow, the Oakville clones are from Larkmead,” he said. And he was struck by Olmo’s apparent premonition. “That was 1939, when Napa was prune and oak trees. It wasn’t Cabernet country, and he planted Cabernet – before anyone else.”
December 2019
Wine Spectator
“The 2016 Dr. Olmo is distinctive, with a loamy lead-in that quickly yields to enticing alder, flint, savory, sage and tar notes ahead of a core of well-steeped currant and blackberry fruit. Keeps a smoldering edge through the finish, with earth and fruit notes working together. 94 Points.”
November 2019
New York Times
“Yet while Napa Valley is full of people who recognize the existential threat of climate change, the willingness to do something about it is less apparent. Changing successful methods can be risky. And it’s hard enough making wine this year, much less worrying about a vintage 20 years away. “We’re not seeing the future because we’re caught up in day-to-day operations,” said Dan Petroski, winemaker at Larkmead in Calistoga. “I just think that people think it’s somebody else’s problem.”
November 2019
Wine Enthusiast
“2016 Cabernet Sauvignon: This stellar, powerhouse wine is perfumed in aromas of pencil, leather and sage that season a core of mineral and crushed rock. The fruit is equally savory in currant and plum, with a dusting of dark chocolate. 98 Points, Editor's Choice.”
October 2019
New York Times
“I just want people to think that Napa Valley makes great, delicious California-style wines,” he said. “If this is a great vineyard site, it will grow great grapes. It doesn’t have to be only cabernet or merlot.” - Dan Petroski”
October 2019
New York Times
“At Larkmead, Dan Petroski, the winemaker, has started an experiment to test some possible alternatives over the next 21 years, including familiar California varieties like zinfandel, petite sirah and charbono, as well as grapes from warm European regions, like touriga nacional, tempranillo from Spain and aglianico from southern Italy.”
October 2019
Departures
“At Larkmead, Petroski isn’t uprooting his Cabernet anytime soon—or ever, if he can help it. But, he says, “to flourish here in the future, we’re going to have to open our eyes a little bit, and open our palates a little bit, and be willing to accept some change. You want to say the future’s bright, because it’s going to be awfully damn sunny, but...”
October 2019
Mother Jones
“But picturesque landscapes are not what Dan Petroski, Larkmead’s winemaker, wants to show me when I arrive at the 124-year-old vineyard at the end of August. Instead, he trots me over to an empty field. “This is our future,” Petroski declares, spreading his arms proudly in the direction of the ruddy expanse of gravely, clay-based soil. “This is three acres we are committing to the next 21 years to figure out what’s going to be the next great wine grape of Larkmead—and hopefully of Napa Valley.”
October 2019
Cru Podcast
“We sat down to chat about the effects of climate change on Napa Valley specifically, with a focus on the benchmarking and data gathering that Larkmead has been doing to assess things like growing degree days in detail, and how Napa Valley is evolving into Zone 5 climatic conditions. We also discuss the affects of alternative packing and how that crosses over in the marketing & customer perception. Then we dig into how Dan is preparing for the potential major effects of climate change with a 21 year plan for testing other grape varietals that might possibly be more viable in the long-term.”
August 2019
KQED
“Overall, Larkmead’s Cabernet Sauvignons (and Tocai Friulano), history (dating back to 1895), gorgeous pastel paintings by co-owner Kate Solari-Baker) and beautiful valley floor vistas will keep you plenty entertained.”
August 2019
Washington Post
“In California’s Napa Valley, Larkmead Vineyards is looking way beyond one generation. The winery, founded in 1895 and owned by the Solari-Baker family since 1948, recently announced plans to plant a three-acre “research block” to develop the grape varieties of Napa Valley’s future in a warmer world.”
August 2019
Vinous
“This spring I had the opportunity to experience vertical tastings of two of Larkmead’s top bottlings, one a Cabernet Sauvignon and the other a blend. I was impressed anew with the exhaustive work that has taken place in both the vineyards and the winery over the past 20 years here. Even the two wines I focused on—the Solari Cabernet Sauvignon and the LMV Salon—have evolved dramatically since their initial vintages (2001 and 2003, respectively) and winemaker Dan Petroski continues to fine-tune these wines in search of greater complexity and longevity and more moderate alcohol levels.”
August 2019
Penta Magazine
“In California’s Napa Valley, Larkmead Vineyards’ winemaker Dan Petroski, has experienced a “roller coaster ride of major climatic events,” including earthquakes, fire, record rainfall, and drought” since he came to Napa about 13 years ago. While he’s been able to make fantastic, largely Cabernet-based premium wines through it all, Petroski is mindful of the role climate plays in making great wines. Warmer vintages are already quickening the maturation stage of the vines, for instance.”
August 2019
San Francisco Chronicle
“Larkmead is a Cabernet house: The variety represents 73% of its estate vineyards, and its exquisite bottles sell for up to $350. Since Petroski started working for the winery in 2006, he has watched higher temperatures shift the annual Cabernet harvest almost four weeks earlier. In the short term, that’s resulted in delicious wines, and the Larkmead team has been able to mitigate the effects of the heat with tools such as shade cloths, which blanket 90% of its vines... This summer, the Larkmead team is preparing the land for what it calls the research block - an experimental 3-acre parcel with grape varieties known to thrive in warm climates better than Cabernet can... The goal, as it stands now, isn’t to replace Cabernet entirely at Larkmead, but to develop a larger palette with which to supplement it.”
August 2019
Robb Report
“Larkmead’s land has been planted to vines since the 1870s on Napa’s valley floor in Calistoga, so even if the winemaker didn’t know what he was doing, the vines would. This particular wine, the Dr. Olmo, is planted in gravelly soil just perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon.”
August 2019
SevenFifty Daily
“At Larkmead, we’ve dedicated 2.5 percent of our vineyard land to create a research vineyard in an effort to get an idea of where Napa Valley can go once we hit the new climate paradigm. We’ve developed a 21-year program that’s broken down into seven-year increments (each phase will go all the way from fallow land to planting to testing the finished product with consumers). By 2035, when we anticipate that climate change will really start to impact Napa Valley Cabernet production, I will already have 15 years of research behind me.”
August 2019
Decanter
“Larkmead used to make wines with rustic tannins and texture, and what struck me most was the shift in style between the earlier and more recent vintages, where the individual terroirs show through…Part of that is surely down to Petroski, named San Francisco Chronicle’s 2017 Winemaker of the Year. Petroski began as cellarmaster at Larkmead in 2006, under experienced winemaker Andy Smith, and when he took over in 2012, he gradually began picking at lower sugars and dialing back the oak and extraction to tame the tannins.”
July 2019
SevenFifty Daily
“We cannot blame the previous generation for climate change—they didn’t have the undeniable proof that we are faced with. But when I think about the farmers and winemakers who will succeed us, what I fear most is that they will know that we knew. If we do nothing to prepare for the future—their future—if we do not accept our responsibility today and put Napa Valley on a course to handle what is coming, we’ll be on the wrong side of history—and future generations will be the ones to pay.”
July 2019
BuzzFeed
“Most wine enthusiasts are familiar with one of the oldest and finest family-owned vineyards in Napa Valley. Larkmead’s 125-year history is intimately connected to the history of Napa Valley, and the way the region became known as the epicenter of California winemaking. The legendary vineyard’s soil is so diverse that it is a snapshot of the entire valley. As a result, Larkmead's stellar wines capture complexity of the local flavors.”
June 2019
ST. HELENA STAR
“Larkmead Vineyards, located at the southern end of the Calistoga AVA, produces smooth, complex wines in an idyllic setting enhanced by landscape architect Ann Baker, daughter of vineyards and winery co-owner Kate Solari Baker. For 20 years, Baker has worked with her parents’ blessing to improve the ecology and soil on Larkmead’s 110 acres of vineyards and surrounding landscape and gardens.”
May 2019
JAMES SUCKLING
“At first, I wasn’t really blown away by the 2016 vintage in Napa Valley, even though everyone else has been… However, after tasting more than 1,000 wines from 2016 last year with my son Jack and senior editor Nick Stock and more recently in February and March, I am now convinced: the 2016 vintage in Napa and Sonoma Valley is exceptional.”
May 2019
INTERNATIONAL WINE REPORT
“The 2016 ‘The Lark’ is absolutely magnificent and is as good as it gets in this fabulous vintage. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the bale loam soils in Larkmead’s vineyards. Typical of all Larkmead’s wines from this vintage, this retains wonderful freshness, balance and striking purity from start to finish. Concentrated, focused and remarkably precise, the team at Larkmead has crafted a simply flawless wine in this vintage, which is nothing short of utterly brilliant now and will also have an incredibly long evolution ahead. 100 Points.”
May 2019
WINE BUSINESS MONTHLY
“What is near and dear to my heart,” said Larkmead winemaker Dan Petroski, “is the conversation about the future of Cabernet. Cabernet Sauvignon is what we built Napa Valley on in the last two to three decades. There is really not a singular more important topic than climate change and how it will impact our day-to-day life.”
April 2019
FORBES
“Wine is born in the vineyard, but not all vineyards are created equal. At Napa Valley’s Larkmead Winery, Block A is what Winemaker Dan Petroski calls “the golden triangle.” This is “where the magic happens,” he explains. “There is something about this parcel we cannot define, after eleven years of testing the vines and soil we cannot decipher or replicate in our other vineyards the balance of this block. That’s the beauty of terroir.” Two parcels from Block A comprise their flagship wine—Solari.”
April 2019
ON THE WINE ROAD
“This is such a remarkable, fertile valley. It’s magical, really. It’s a really special place. I’ve traveled all over the world and if you look at where the Ming tombs are located in China and the descriptions of that valley match this valley. This valley has the bones of this incredible vitality and energetics.” - Ann Baker
April 2019
FORBES
“These were all deliciously bold Cabs, unquestionably in the brawny Napa Valley style, but their complexity and spice kept giving up more flavors as they mingled with the ribeyes, with tannins already softened up…by meal’s end they still showed finesse over mere power.”
March 2019
GRAPE NATION | HERITAGE RADIO NETWORK
“Two to three reasons why I would consider Larkmead to be incredibly special. One is its location in the valley. So its “terroir”. It is unique: family-held, three contiguous vineyards, spanning the entire valley floor between the Silverado Trail and Highway 29, with unique soil diversity is something that we don’t see in the Napa Valley. Larkmead is completely diverse in its own right and is cut in half by the Napa River. As any good winemaker is going to tell you land is number one.”
March 2019
BLOOMBERG
“The vineyard is getting older. As the vines get older they become a little more consistent and stable and actually the textures and flavors and aromas get better as the yields go down and the vineyard ages into itself. I always talk about experience – grape vines and agriculture have experience as well. Vines are perennials. Every year they do it again. They do the same thing under difference circumstances. But it has that experience to build upon. They get more interesting as they get older.” – Dan Petroski
January 2019
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
“All wineries have a story, but few match that of Larkmead, located five miles south of Calistoga on an estate that lies between Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail. Their story unfolds as an integral and colorful part of the history and evolution of wine in the Napa Valley.”
December 2018
WINE ENTHUSIAST
“A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 LMV Salon is a tremendous wine, offering grippy red-currant, tobacco and graphite components around a full-bodied core of weight and breadth. Powerful yet elegant, it retains and celebrates much of the Cab Franc character in its unabashed embrace of dried herb, clove and violet.”
November 2018
WINE ENTHUSIAST
“97 Points – Cellar Selection. With a tiny 3% addition of Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is defined by aromas of violet and crushed rock. Oak, clove and graphite dot a landscape of bold structure on the palate, with bright acidity balancing the concentration and grip.”
June 2018
WINE ADVOCATE
“(96-98+ Points) A barrel sample of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and sings of cassis, crushed black cherries and mulberries with touches of garrigue, cigar box, pencil lead and black soil. The full-bodied palate is absolutely laden with crunchy black fruits and savory layers, framed by rock-solid ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and very minerally.”
May 2018
JAMES SUCKLING
“Who would have thought that the 2015 vintage in Napa Valley could have produced so many fresh and fruity reds? I certainly didn’t think it was possible considering the short growing season and hot, dry and early harvest. And they are all reds — primarily cabernet sauvignon — that everyone is going to want to drink.”
April 2018
VINOUS
“Dan Petroski continues to bring greater clarity and precision to the Larkmead wines. The 2015s are terrific, but the 2016s are even more expressive and layered. As always, these Calistoga wines pack a serious punch.”
January 2018
JAMES SUCKLING
“Top 100 Napa & Sonoma Wines of 2017: 2014 The Lark (#56) and 2014 Dr. Olmo (#70). As I wrote about Napa Valley’s 2014 vintage earlier last year, the 2014s show their true character and nature of their respective soils and microclimates. What’s in the bottle is more about their respective vineyards than the weather patterns during the year. It was altogether a more balanced growing season than most years in my recent memory.”
January 2018
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“More than 120 years into its existence, Larkmead is undergoing something of a transformation. A recently completed renovation of the facilities includes a brand-new winery whose tanks are fitted precisely to different vineyard blocks, and a gorgeous new building for seated tastings, with a semi-outdoor patio and an indoor, cellar-temperature chamber lined with Georgia O’Keefe-esque paintings by Larkmead owner Kate Solari-Baker... it’s worth noting that the Larkmead wines provide a welcome departure, style-wise, from most other similarly priced bottles from Napa Valley. Collectors, take note.”
December 2017
JEB DUNNUCK
“Located north of Saint Helena and pulling all from their estate vineyard located around the winery, owner Cam Baker and winemaker Dan Petroski have produced some true superstars in 2015. These are ripe, full-bodied, majestic, yet structured wines that are going to age beautifully.”
December 2017
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“San Francisco Chronicle 2017 Winemaker of the Year: Over his 11 years at Larkmead, Petroski has honed a focused, but ultimately traditional, voice for the estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Structure, a commingling of herb and fruit, tannins that will outlive decades: These are the noble mandates of Cabernet from Napa Valley as from Bordeaux, and have been for centuries… It’s the rare winemaker who can contain multitudes such as these: to forge a style of wine as original and unmoored as Massican while upholding the epitome of the American wine establishment, Napa Valley Cabernet. Or at least, it’s the rare winemaker who can do them both as well as Dan Petroski does. For this, and for much more, Petroski is The Chronicle’s 2017 Winemaker of the Year.”
October 2017
WINE ADVOCATE
“The best wines from 2015 are singular, totally unique expressions of their vineyards and are absolutely spectacular. Apart from very fine-grained, silt-like tannins and great freshness that structure the superlatives, it is the sheer range of aromas/flavors this vintage throws up that has me so impressed. In some wines, red, black and blue fruits can be found existing in more or less equal proportions and great harmony. The intensity of floral and spice perfumes that can be found is just astounding. Given the vintage, these characters have come as a wonderful surprise not just to me but to the winemakers as well.”
May 2017
James Suckling
“The 2014s showed their true character of their respective soils and microclimates. Profiles were more about the vineyards they came from, rather than the weather patterns of the year… The wines show a harmony in fruit and structure that will allow early drinking as well as aging.”
April 2017
FORBES
“How did a Nebbiolo-lover from the New York publishing world become an icon of hipster wine while simultaneously producing some of Napa’s most exciting Cabernet for a heritage brand in Calistoga? Because Dan Petroski is uniquely suited for both… Over dinner in Calistoga, I could sense the dichotomy of his character, the toggling between his innate East Coast city sensibility and his newfound agrarian lifestyle as a California winemaker.”
March 2017
Decanter
“Calistoga’s Larkmead is possibly one of the most celebrated but least known of Napa wineries… Dan Petroski, a New York publisher turned winemaker, joined in 2007, after present owners Cam Baker and Kate Solari Baker revived the label. Petroski’s winemaking selection is on the Burgundian model: ‘parcel-based winemaking to express the variation of soils we get up here’.”
December 2016
Wines & Spirits
“The new cabernet program brings a refreshing shift in Larkmead’s style. Where the previous estate wines were hedonistic and, at times, monolithic, the new bottlings offer a relatively trim presence in the mouth, and a captivating diversity in relation to each other. Tasting upcoming vintages of Solari, Dr. Olmo and The Lark out of barrel and bottle feels like finding an exciting new classic. They are obviously young, but their progressively greater freshness and transparency points to age worthy wines with clearly expressed site characteristics.”
December 2016
Vinous
“Winemaker Dan Petroski’s focus on more sustainable farming practices and a move towards picking at lower sugars are two recent developments here. To be sure, this historic Calistoga vineyard naturally produces pretty big, powerful wines, so it will likely be some time before the full effects of these changes are felt. Perhaps more important is Larkmead’s increased focus on single-parcel wines at the top of the range.”
October 2016
Wine Advocate
“Proprietor Cam Baker and his winemaker Dan Petroski continue to prove irrefutably what a first growth terroir Larkmead possesses. Located directly on the valley floor north of St. Helena, this is a superb site, with alluvial, gravelly soils, but there’s diversity in the soil, with plenty of clay, rock and what they refer to as Cortina Gravel.”
November 2015
TOWN & COUNTRY
“Petroski has been quietly raising the bar for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Larkmead may now be the best Napa cab you've never heard of. When I visited its new Howard Backen-designed winery last year, I was blown away by the 2012s, which were rich and generous in the sunny Napa style but had a classical balance and restraint that reminded me of Bordeaux.”
October 2015
WINE ADVOCATE
“This famous, historic estate, highly renowned in the late 1800s, sits to the north of St. Helena and to the south of Calistoga. It is a valley-floor vineyard of 110 acres that has been divided into a hierarchy of quality. They have had an incredible run of great successes at Larkmead, with the 2013s easily the match for the impressive 2012s…The three Black Label wines are about as good as Cabernet Sauvignon can be… Cam Baker, the proprietor of Larkmead, told me that the 2013s were off the analytical charts in terms of extract, tannin levels and color density.”
October 2015
VINOUS
“...Larkmead remains one of the most distinctive sites anywhere in California. The 2014s are the first wines made with the new internal division of parcels and, perhaps for that reason, show a bit more focus as well as finesse. Winemaker Dan Petroski describes 2014 as a vintage that had both longer hang time than usual and that ripened at lower sugars than are the norm here, with less heat at the end of the growing season. The bottled 2013s are as powerful and bombastic as they have always been.”
July 2015
JAMES SUCKLING
“Larkmead continues to be a favorite producer in Napa, and its wines remain underrated by many.”
December 2014
VINOUS
“This is a stunning set of wines from Larkmead. The 2012s are big, powerful Cabernets that will require quite a bit of patience. They are among the most structured wines of the year I tasted. The 2013s are even more intense…Petroski has a decidedly Old World-leaning palate, which seems very well suited to the kinds of wines that seem to emerge pretty naturally from this historic Calistoga site. Longtime Larkmead fans will note a few changes in the wines, such as a move to make Cabernet Franc an important component in the LMV Salon and the evolution of the flagship Lark to a single-parcel wine, rather than a field or cellar selection. Personally, I very much like what is coming out of Larkmead these days, and that is no way a critique of prior vintages, but rather an observation of what looks like a very bright future here.”
November 2014
JAMES SUCKLING
“TOP 100 WINES OF 2014 - #29 2010 SOLARI This is like Mouton 1982 on the nose with lead pencil, blackberry, mint and asphalt. Iodine, iron and blood, too. Toasted oak and coffee. Full body with an incredible depth of fruit and structure to this red. The texture of velvet is compelling and makes you contemplate all great wines. A pinnacle of pure Napa cabernet. Reserved opulence. Please give this at least three to five years to soften with bottle age: Try in 2018.”
October 2014
WINE ADVOCATE
“As I have written before, this is an extraordinary estate spread out in one contiguous parcel (unusual) in the center of the Napa Valley floor, north of St. Helena and south of Calistoga. A singular characteristic of the Larkmead vineyard is that it has a strong vein of old river gravel. Dan Petroski…has not missed a beat finishing the 2012s and producing the 2013s, which Cam Baker believes might be the vintage of the century for Larkmead.”
October 2013
WINE ADVOCATE
“This splendid estate situated in the heart of Napa Valley, just north of St. Helena, has enjoyed a reputation for high quality for well over a century. Tasting with winemaker Andy Smith and Larkmead’s proprietor Cam Baker demonstrated once again just what brilliant wines these can be…2012 appears to be a fabulous vintage for proprietor Cam Baker.”
December 2012
WINE ADVOCATE
“I was completely blown away by Larkmead this year. The 2010s are simply phenomenal across the board. This is also a vintage in which the different terroirs Larkmead works with are vividly marked. While many wineries are aggressively pushing the boundaries of pricing, Larkmead takes the opposite approach. The fashionable cult-loving crowd might look past these offerings, but savvy readers will recognize that Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignons in particular are some of the very best wines being made in Napa Valley today. If forced to choose one top-flight Napa Valley producer that remains under the radar, Larkmead would get my vote. These are spectacular wines that deserve a much broader audience. I can’t say enough good things about what proprietor Cam Baker, winemaker Andy Smith and the entire team at Larkmead are doing at this historic property.”
May 2012
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“A sign of how the older and new Napa styles are being bridged ... a wonderfully revived Calistoga property.”
December 2010
WINE ADVOCATE
“Larkmead is one of the historic estates in Napa Valley, with a rich lineage that goes back to 1895. The wines I tasted with Proprietor Cam Baker and winemaker Andy Smith were all exceptional. Most importantly, though, these are highly individualistic wines loaded with true personality and class. Pricing remains exceedingly fair by Napa Valley standards, considering the quality of what is in the bottle.”