Joe, you should get one of those new fangled wine luggage deals. That way you could bag carry several mags while drinking out of 1 of the bottles.
That’s because those folks bought and loved Larkmead when it was affordable. Betcha the CT notes on vintages 2015 and going forward become substantially LESS numerous.
I thought it was priced too high after the previous hike or even earlier. If they can sell it at this price, more power to them but it won’t be to me. Just not worth it IMO.
Hey, gang. This is my first post, but hopefully not my last. I’ve been a long-time lurker and I enjoy and agree with the overall vibe on the boards. I’ve always been a wine drinker first and winemaker second. That being said, I am the winemaker at Larkmead. I’ve been working at the winery since my first vintage in 2006. I will say, if anyone has visited the winery since 2013 you might have a glimpse at how the wines and the winery have changed. Starting in 1995 there was a systematic replant of Larkmead’s 110 acres under vine; then again in 2005 replanting continued and we were able to correct some of the mistakes that were made in the 10 years prior. With the vineyard re-development, we also undertook a winery expansion and retro-fit so we could begin to isolate the diversity and quality of the vineyard parcels. When the first winery was built in 2005 we had 12 tanks and a single barrel hall. Today we have 30 tanks and three barrel aging facilities. I’ve always joked with the owners that we never do anything once at Larkmead, but seriously, we just haven’t stopped learning about our land and our vineyards; so, we will continue to refine what we are doing here in the vineyards and the winery. And this investment was made by an ownership that is committed to extracting the quality and purity out of the vineyard and the 2013 vintage was the first vintage we were able to release a new set of wines that will set the stage for the future of our winemaking program.
Long story short, the 2013 vintage marks a new era for Larkmead. We are not making the same wines we did that you all have been fans of (thank you for that). You may recognize some of the old names (Firebelle, Solari, etc.) but these are new wines from new vines with a new vision. From a winemaking perspective this is a very exciting time for us. I’ve been racking my brains to find another winery that offers a diverse set of wines (six reds) from a singular estate - Diamond Creek maybe ? If you can come up with some others, please let me know. Also, if you haven’t visited us in awhile, please e-mail me directly (dan@larkmead.com) and let’s tour the vineyards and taste the wines. Would love to show you what we have going on and preview some of the future wines in barrel.
Thanks for your support - and keep the critiques coming as well as your eyes on what we are doing, to be frank, I don’t think we have made our best wines yet; but wine’s a patient man’s game and we’ll keep working at it until we get there.
In 2012 my friend and I bought some 2009 Solari, and I believe we paid $90 per bottle. Now only four years later the price has more than doubled. Vineyard re-devolopement and refining what’s going on, doesn’t even come close to justifying this radical of a price increase.
Welcome to this site Dan. Great you signed in, and pretty brave too considering the tone of some of the notes here. I have to admit being on the Larkmead mailing list, but am teetering on the edge of giving it up totally because of the price increases that are the backbone of the tone in this (and other) strings of notes here. And Larkmead has aggravated me on other cost issues in the past, e.g., on a swing through the valley a few years ago Larkmead was the only winery that did not deduct the tasting fee when I bought wine. As much as I love the wines, I think the big point in thus collection of notes is that there are alternatives. Anyway, I am certainly not wishing any ill will, but rather the best of success, but it seems the winery is on the radar screen for a poor pricing model.
We toured Larkmead a few years ago, just about when the prices started creeping up - we liked the wine, and considered joining the list and buying in quantity. But what put us off was the bundling - having to purchase a bunch of wine that we didn’t want just to get the ones we did.
There have been a few other winery lists that have done the same - we’ve dropped every one after seeing a gradual accumulation of bottles in the cellar taking up space and money that never get drunk, are on the ‘Allison’s book club’ shelf, and for which we have to look for opportunities to gift or donate to charities.
So appreciate your being willing to participate on the board, but my two cents - if you’re making wines that need to be bundled because they won’t sell on their own - stop making them, and either sell the grapes or make something else that will sell.
That said, had we been on the list, the price increases would have caused us to drop as well - too much, too fast.
David, you are correct: I remember the bundling offer also, and I also did not, and do not, dive for such offers.
David and Jim,
Thanks for the welcoming. I am excited, once harvest is over to be a little more active. In the meantime, I just wanted to say that I am not a Marketing and Sales representative for the winery, but I can tell you that with the 2013 release earlier this year; all our wines are available to taste and purchase at the winery. There are no more bundling options! And, unfortunately, throughout the years we’ve oversold our vintages and diminished our library quantities, to much chagrin. Therefore, we are always looking to re-acquire our wines. If you wish to consider selling them back to us, please e-mail me directly and we can have that conversation.
Thanks again for the commentary. I know there are lots of options out there; so, as long as you are drinking well, that is the most important consideration. Cheers, Dan
You make such a strong statement, so I have to ask the question- do you know how much building a winery costs? And replanting a vineyard?
Dan, kudos for chiming in and adding a lot of value to this thread .
Ian, I am certainly aware that replanting comes at a cost, but these price increases are aggressive, if not bordering on radical! The bigger risk to Larkmead is high customer turnover. Yes there will be new customers that come in and buy Solari for 2 bills, but will they remain for long? The higher the price, the more volatility. Producers that have increased prices slowly have very little turnover and strong customer loyalty. Who would you prefer to support?
Dan - welcome to WB, and thank you for your viewpoint!
David and Jim,
Thanks for the welcoming. I am excited, once harvest is over to be a little more active. In the meantime, I just wanted to say that I am not a Marketing and Sales representative for the winery, but I can tell you that with the 2013 release earlier this year; all our wines are available to taste and purchase at the winery. There are no more bundling options! And, unfortunately, throughout the years we’ve oversold our vintages and diminished our library quantities, to much chagrin. Therefore, we are always looking to re-acquire our wines. If you wish to consider selling them back to us, please e-mail me directly and we can have that conversation.
Dan, thanks for the offer, but no, I will keep, and drink, my wines.
Regards,
I want to support Larkmead.
I think everyone is fixated on the price, and thinks they are getting the same quality that they got when Solari was $90 a bottle, and they simply jacked up the price. What Dan is doing at Larkmead is a big step up from what they were doing in 2009 and before. They went from making very good wines at a good price, to making some of the best wines in Napa in a short period of time. I got to taste 2004 LMV Salon vs. the 2013 LMV Salon last year, and there was simply no comparison, and 2004 LMV Salon was one of the wines that made my fall in love with Larkmead. The 2013 was head and shoulders above the 2004. I get that the price increase was a shock, but you are definitely getting a hell of a lot more quality now. As Dan said, they still don’t think they have maxed out their quality, which speaks volumes about where the brand is going. If that is the case, I think it would be a bad idea to get off the bandwagon.
I tasted through the lineup when I was there in June and the 13s are very impressive. I’m not spending $300 for almost any wine, but their regular cab for $100 is probably priced “fairly”, at least compared to its Napa Valley neighbors. I bought a couple of them and look forward to drinking them in a few years.