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Harlan Estate is one of Napa's most prominent wine producers, self-styled as a Napa "first growth". The vineyard is located in the Oakville AVA, in the hills above Martha's Vineyard (Heitz Cellar) and To Kalon (Robert Mondavi), just north of Napa town itself. Its Cabernet Sauvignon-based flagship wine is one of California's most sought-after wines, regularly commanding prices exceeding $1000 per bottle.
The estate was founded in 1984 by property developer William Harlan, who had cut his teeth at the Merryvale winery and Meadowood lodge before buying 240 acres (97 hectares) of land in the Oakville hills. Some 40 acres (16ha) of this was cleared for vineyards – mostly planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, but with some Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Harlan Estate's first commercial vintage was the 1990, which was released in 1996 with a then-expensive price tag of $65 a bottle. Since then, the estate has cemented itself as a cult wine producer, with five vintages achieving 100-point scores from Robert Parker. In addition to the flagship red, Harlan Estate also makes a second wine, The Maiden.
| Varietal | Proprietary Blend |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2005 |
| Rating | 98+ RP |
| Bottle Size | 6 x 750ml |
| Bottle Quantity | 6 |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Location | North Coast |
| Producer | Harlan Estate |
| Color | Red |
| Wine Type | Table |
| Rating | 98+ RP - Its bigger brother, or sister, depending on the point of view, is the extremely young, fresh, vigorous, yet still exuberant and promising 2005 Harlan Estate. Normally, the blends on these wines tend to be 85%-90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest tiny proportions of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and possibly some Petit Verdot, although I don’t recall that being a very important part of the estate vineyard. The 2005 is incredibly youthful at age ten, although certainly drinkable. And who wouldn’t consume it if they had the opportunity? It will benefit from another 5-10 years of cellaring and certainly has 30 or more years left in its evolutionary curve. Gorgeous, and tasting akin to a hypothetical Pauillac blended with a great Pessac-Léognan from Bordeaux comes to mind because of the smoky, subtle barbecue notes, fruitcake, forest floor, graphite and minerality. The wine has stunning fruit and a full-bodied, powerful richness, yet is still nimble on its feet. This is a classic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from an absolutely magnificent hillside vineyard in the Mayacamas Mountains overlooking the Oakville corridor on the valley floor. This opaque, garnet/purple wine is another tour de force and, once again, proves that Harlan Estate is not only one of the greatest wines of California, but of the world. |
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| Wine Spectator | 95 WS - Tightly wound and closed, with notes of pencil lead and shavings, graphite, mineral and dried berry. The flavors are intense and persistent, without too much weight. This is graceful in its own way. |
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| Burghound |
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| Varietal | Proprietary Blend |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2005 |
| Rating | 98+ RP |
| Bottle Size | 6 x 750ml |
| Bottle Quantity | 6 |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Location | North Coast |
| Producer | Harlan Estate |
| Color | Red |
| Wine Type | Table |
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