Larkmead debuts 2023 Contour and Keyline reds from its Napa research block
Larkmead Vineyards has produced its first 2 Research Block red wines: 2023 Contour and 2023 Keyline. The Calistoga estate’s blends draw on varieties tested in a 3-acre experimental vineyard planted in 2020 to study performance under Napa Valley’s changing growing conditions.
The first 2 reds
The project’s first 2 red wines are the 2023 Contour Estate Red Blend and 2023 Keyline Estate Red Blend. Contour combines Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aglianico, Malbec and Zinfandel; Tempranillo leads, while Cabernet Sauvignon supplies a link to Larkmead’s Bordeaux-variety history and contributes structure.2 · 3
The 2023 Keyline combines Shiraz, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Charbono, Touriga Nacional and Zinfandel. Larkmead describes it as led by Shiraz and built around a mix of non-traditional varieties suited to changing growing conditions; the independent account characterizes it as the more extroverted of the 2 wines, with darker fruit and more texture.2 · 3
A vineyard used as a field laboratory
Larkmead established the 3-acre Research Block in 2020 in Calistoga, planting 8 grape varieties as well as a range of clones and rootstocks. The aim was to observe their response to the estate’s soils and increasingly unpredictable Napa Valley conditions across actual seasons, harvests and fermentations, while expanding knowledge of site expression, portfolio diversity and accessibility.2 · 3
Winemaker Avery Heelan said the work was not a referendum on Cabernet Sauvignon or on whether Bordeaux grapes belong at Larkmead. The estate instead wanted to identify additional varieties that might perform well and broaden its viticultural knowledge and blending options. Some varieties performed better than others; underperforming vines have already been top-grafted so the experiment can continue to evolve.3
Selection through vineyard performance
According to Heelan, the team did not begin with a fixed list of grapes for the wines. It evaluated adaptation, balance and character in the vineyard, then took the best-performing lots into blending trials. He said the vineyard’s results and the way the varieties expressed the 2023 vintage shaped the final blends.3
Larkmead presents the Research Block wines as an expansion rather than a rejection of Napa’s identity: Bordeaux varieties remain central, while greater diversity is tested alongside them. The estate also positions the wines as earlier-drinking and more accessible in style and price than Napa Cabernet intended for cellaring.2 · 3
A 3-wine series
Contour and Keyline join Estate Chenin Blanc in the 3-wine Research Block Series. The Chenin Blanc is a 100% varietal wine aged for 11 months in neutral French oak; the reds were listed for release in fall 2026. All 3 are limited-production wines available exclusively to Larkmead Solari Members.2
Each label carries original artwork by proprietor Kate Solari Baker. Contour and Keyline use works from her “Keeping Account” series, while Estate Chenin Blanc uses art from “Noxious Weeds and Roadside Grasses.” Larkmead says the imagery draws on the estate’s native grasses, wild flora and changing landscape, linking the research project with place, agriculture and family history.2
Sources
- 2www.larkmead.com — The Research Block
- 3vintnerproject.com — What Happens When a Vineyard Becomes a Laboratory
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
