Bright ruby/purple. Classic Larkmead aromas of cassis, black raspberry and menthol, underpinned by bitter chocolate and dried herb notes. The youthful palate is initially tightly coiled but unfolds with air to show sweet dark fruits, cocoa and brighter ripe plum flavours. The mid-palate is broad and creamy leading to a powerfully structured finish featuring cassis fruit of great purity and a spicy licorice edge. Our 2004 Firebelle blend currently drinks more like a young Cabernet than a Merlot dominated read more...Bright ruby/purple. Classic Larkmead aromas of cassis, black raspberry and menthol, underpinned by bitter chocolate and dried herb notes. The youthful palate is initially tightly coiled but unfolds with air to show sweet dark fruits, cocoa and brighter ripe plum flavours. The mid-palate is broad and creamy leading to a powerfully structured finish featuring cassis fruit of great purity and a spicy licorice edge. Our 2004 Firebelle blend currently drinks more like a young Cabernet than a Merlot dominated wine, a testament to the power and structure of the Merlot we grow at Larkmead. On opening, the wine is somewhat tightly wound and dominated by dark brooding fruits and spice, to the point that it’s hard to identify individual flavours. With air the wine softens and opens to reveal its inherent creamy ripe fruit and texture. The moderate summer of the 2004 season maintained the cooler, dark flavors that we prize in merlot, whereas heat at harvest allowed the Cabernet tannins to fully mature and the spice of the Malbec to assert its strong influence on the wine’s complex finish. Decant for an hour in its youth to experience the wine’s full range of flavors. This large-scaled wine will further concentrate for 4 years in bottle and hold for a decade or more. (hide)