Cabernet Sauvignon Solari 2005

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Solari is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon named after Larry Polly Solari, who bought Larkmead in 1948. This is great, great wine and certainly one of the undeniable superstars of this vintage. It has impressed me more and more every time I go back to it. Dense purple in color, with a Pauillac first-growth bouquet on steroids, including notes of crème de cassis, graphite, and a touch of oak and flora, the wine is full-bodied and opulent. It has lavish, extravagant levels of concentration as well as an extraordinary elegance and intensity. This is absolutely amazing stuff and is certainly as great as Cabernet Sauvignon can be in Napa Valley. Remarkably, it’s accessible now, but promises to age effortlessly for another quarter of a century.

Score: 99

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2015-2040 29 June 2015